Lahore-born author Anita Mir’s novel The Inside City has been longlisted for this year’s RSL Ondaatje Prize, which is given by the United Kingdom’s Royal Society of Literature. The prize is sponsored by Sir Christopher Ondaatje, brother of noted author Michael Ondaatje.

Initiated in 2004, the annual prize consists of £10,000 and is given to “a distinguished work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry, best evoking the spirit of a place.” This year’s judges are Peter Frankopan, Pascale Petit and Evie Wyld.

The Inside City tells the story of ‘old’ Lahore during the pre- and post-Partition era, beginning with the Amritsar Massacre of 1919, and revolves around the Dar family of six. The city’s architectural history, particularly its famed 13 gates and its dusty, meandering streets, are one of the key themes in Mir’s book.

Alongside Mir, among the 18 writers up for this year’s prize are Tim Mackintosh-Smith for Arabs: A 3,000-Year History of Peoples, Tribes, and Empires; Tishani Joshi for Small Days and Nights, a novel set in modern India; and Elif Shafak for 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, set in Turkey. Previous winners include Justin Marozzi’s Baghdad: City of Peace, City of Blood and Ian Thomson’s The Dead Yard: Tales of Modern Jamaica.

The shortlist of the RSL Ondaatje Prize will be announced on April 20 and the winner on May 4.

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, April 12th, 2020