Upmanyu Chatterjee wins JCB Prize for Literature 2024 for Lorenzo Searches for the Meaning of Life

In a characteristically tongue-in-cheek acceptance speech, Chatterjee quipped, “When I was writing it, I thought it was one hell of a boring story. But it seems to have worked,” thanking the jury for their “good taste,” tongue firmly in cheek. Chairman of the jury, author Jerry Pinto, aptly described the book as “both a small canvas, because it is a canvas inside a man’s heart and soul, and a huge canvas, taking in notions of who we are, what we want to become, and how we want to take that journey.”

Also read: Lorenzo Searches for the Meaning of Life review: A novel limns the quest for self-actualisation

Lorenzo’s spiritual journey

Chatterjee’s novel opens on a summer morning in 1977, when nineteen-year-old Lorenzo Senesi crashes his Vespa into a speeding Fiat, leaving him with a broken forearm and a mind flooded with existential questions. During his recovery, he begins exploring spirituality, enrolling in a physiotherapy course and joining a prayer group. This journey eventually leads him to the Praglia Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in Padua, which becomes his home for a decade. From there, Lorenzo’s path takes an even more transformative turn as he moves to a Benedictine ashram in Bangladesh’s Khulna district. Amid the monsoon-laden landscapes, he learns Bengali, starts a physiotherapy clinic, and discovers unexpected love. As the novel unfolds, Lorenzo realises that a life of service and devotion may not be the ultimate answer to life’s questions.

Also read I JCB Prize for Literature shortlist features three translations, two English novels

Chatterjee is no stranger to literary acclaim. His debut novel, English, August: An Indian Story (1988), remains a seminal work in Indian literature, noted for its witty yet incisive critique of Indian bureaucracy and urban dislocation. Over the years, he has penned several celebrated works, including The Mammaries of the Welfare State (2000), which earned him the Sahitya Akademi Award, and The Assassination of Indira Gandhi (2019). Chatterjee has also been recognised internationally, receiving the Officier des Arts et des Lettres from the French government in 2008 for his contributions to literature. The JCB Prize for Literature, instituted in 2018, is funded by JCB and administered by the JCB Literature Foundation. It aims to enhance the visibility of contemporary Indian writing, particularly translations that bridge linguistic divides.

Fiction: ‘A large, magnificent chamber of magic and madness’

Mita Kapur, the literary director for the prize, hailed it as a transformative platform that celebrates the diversity of Indian storytelling. “With each passing year, the prize reaffirms its commitment to honouring the artistry, creativity, and dedication of writers and translators, whose words leave an indelible mark on the world,” she said. The jury for the 2024 prize, chaired by Jerry Pinto, included art historian Deepthi Sashidharan, writer Tridip Suhrud, filmmaker Shaunak Sen, and artist Aqui Thami. Reflecting on their task, Pinto said, “The task of a jury is never easy. Chalk must be compared to cheese as fiction is a large and magnificent chamber of magic and madness. We argued a lot, discussed things often, but rarely disagreed on fundamental issues.”

Also read: 2024 JCB Prize for Literature: Longlist split evenly between English novels, translations

This year’s award was not without its share of controversy. Two days before the ceremony, an open letter signed by over 100 writers, poets, and publishers condemned JCB, the British bulldozer manufacturer and prize sponsor, for their silence on “uprooting” of the marginalised communities in India and Palestine. The award organisers declined to comment on the letter. Each of the five shortlisted authors will receive Rs 1 lakh. The shortlist featured three novels in translation, from Bangla, Malayalam and Marathi, and two novels written in English. The translated novels included The One Legged by Sakyajit Bhattacharya, translated from Bengali by Rituparna Mukherjee (Antonym Collections, 2023); Senator by Sharankumar Limbale, translated from Marathi by Paromita Sengupta (Penguin Books, 2024); and Maria, Just Maria by Sandhya Mary, translated from Malayalam by Jayasree Kalathil (HarperCollins Publishers India, 2024). The other English novel was Chronicle of an Hour and a Half by Saharu Nusaiba (Westland Books, 2024).