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The 2024 JCB Prize for Literature shortlist brings together five novels by Indian authors, including three translated into English from Bengali, Marathi and Malayalam. The headline count of two debut novels needs a qualification: Scroll’s headline says two, while its coverage and a separate Mint report do not establish that count consistently. Here are the shortlisted books, their authors and translators, and what the prize rules say.
The five books on the 2024 shortlist
The shortlist was announced in Gurugram on 23 October 2024. The five selections, with translator credits for translated works, are:
| Novel | Author | Translation and publisher |
|---|---|---|
| The One Legged | Sakyajit Bhattacharya | Translated from Bengali by Rituparna Mukherjee; Antonym Collections |
| Chronicle of an Hour and a Half | Saharu Nusaiba Kannanari | Originally written in English; Westland Books |
| Sanatan | Sharankumar Limbale | Translated from Marathi by Paromita Sengupta; Penguin Books |
| Lorenzo Searches for the Meaning of Life | Upmanyu Chatterjee | Originally written in English; Speaking Tiger Books |
| Maria, Just Maria | Sandhya Mary | Translated from Malayalam by Jayasree Kalathil; HarperCollins Publishers |
Why the “two debut novels” count is uncertain
Scroll’s 23 October headline describes the shortlist as including two debut novels and three translations. Its review extract calls Maria, Just Maria a debut. Mint’s 24 October report calls Chronicle of an Hour and a Half a debut, but its subhead and article say the shortlist includes only one debut. The published coverage therefore supports identifying these two books as described as debuts, but does not support presenting the total as uncontested.
Sources: Scroll.in, 23 October 2024; Mint, 24 October 2024.
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Three translations, three source languages
Three shortlisted novels are translations into English: Bengali to English for The One Legged, Marathi to English for Sanatan, and Malayalam to English for Maria, Just Maria. Their translators are part of the books’ credits, not incidental details. Jayasree Kalathil, who translated Maria, Just Maria and S. Hareesh’s 2020 JCB Prize-winning Moustache, was reported as nominated for the prize for a third time. Scroll.in’s shortlist report and Mint’s report provide those credits and context.
What the books explore
The One Legged
Scroll’s review extract says the title comes from an old Bengali folk song about a one-legged ghost. The novella uses that myth to approach darker realities and the stories adults tell to make children obey. Scroll.in.
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Chronicle of an Hour and a Half
Mint describes Kannanari’s novel as magic realist and set during a storm in Kerala. Scroll’s extract follows the effects of Burhan’s death on Reyhana and Nabeesumma through multiple voices; it includes the question, “Who can resist a mob?” in the context of its review. Mint; Scroll.in.
Sanatan
Scroll’s review extract situates Limbale’s novel amid historical struggles affecting Mahars, from recruitment by the East India Company through the 1857 revolt and into the early twentieth century. This is a reviewer’s framing, not a complete historical synopsis of the novel. Scroll.in.
Lorenzo Searches for the Meaning of Life
Scroll describes Chatterjee’s novel as a journey from a small Italian town through a centuries-old religious institution and 1990s London to a changing small town in India, against markers of late twentieth-century history. Mint calls it self-reflexive and scholarly. The jury described it as “A deliberation on the meaning of life, a delineation of withdrawal and return, Upamanyu Chatterjee’s Lorenzo Searches for the Meaning of Life was not afraid of asking questions that cannot be answered easily.” Scroll.in; Mint.
Maria, Just Maria
Scroll’s review describes a narrator who acknowledges her own madness, using humor and an unconventional view of normalcy. The review also calls the novel a debut. Scroll.in.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the prize works
The JCB Prize recognizes fiction by Indian authors and includes works originally written in English as well as English translations. The published 2024 entry rules required substantial fiction of at least 25,000 words, written by Indian citizens and published in India between 1 August 2023 and 31 July 2024. Publishers could enter up to four books per imprint—two originally in English and two translations—and the Literary Director could also call eligible novels in for jury consideration. JCB Prize for Literature, 2024 Rules for Entry; JCB Prize for Literature, About Us.
The rules set out these awards for 2024:
| Recognition | Author award | Translator award |
|---|---|---|
| Each of the five shortlisted works | ₹1 lakh | ₹50,000 for the translator of a shortlisted translated work |
| Winning work | A further ₹25 lakh | ₹10 lakh if the winning work is a translation |
These are amounts specified in the 2024 rules, not a statement of who won or what was ultimately paid. JCB Prize for Literature, 2024 Rules for Entry.
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