Hindi writer Vinod Kumar Shukla received the 2023 PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature. PEN America announced him as the honoree on March 1, 2023, and the award was presented at a ceremony scheduled for March 2, 2023, at The Town Hall in New York City. PEN America’s award archive lists him as the 2023 recipient.
What the award is
The PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature is an annual honor for a living author. PEN America’s stated criteria focus on a body of work, written in or translated into English, that shows high achievement in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama, with enduring originality and consummate craftsmanship. It is not given for a single book. Some coverage calls it a lifetime achievement award, but PEN America’s own description is the body-of-work standard above, so that is the name and framing to use.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Pratinidhi kavitayen : Vinod Kumar Shukl | $11.79 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Ek Poorv Mein Bahut Se Poorv | $10.35 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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THE WINDOWS IN OUR HOUSE ARE LITTLE DOORS | $13.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Yasi Rasa Ta (Hindi Edition) | $12.79 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Naukar Ki Kameez (Hindi Edition) | $3.63 | Buy on Amazon |
Who judged it and why
The 2023 judges were Amit Chaudhuri, Roya Hakakian, and Maaza Mengiste. Their citation calls Shukla one of the greatest living writers in Hindi and praises his prose and poetry for acute observation, directness, simplicity, originality, and moments of wonder. The judges wrote:
“Writing for decades without the recognition he deserves, Shukla has created literature that changes how we understand the modern.”
#1 Best Overall
PEN America’s announcement adds that his work brings the marvelous into ordinary settings, with intimate portraits of rural and small-town life and a questioning of modern aspirations, and that his style is distinctive in its linguistic texture and emotional depth. These are the judges’ and PEN America’s assessments, not independently measured results.
PEN America’s announcement also quotes a line about the award’s standard: the honoree’s work “will evoke to some measure Nabokov’s brilliant versatility and commitment to literature as a search for the deepest truth and highest pleasure.” That sentence describes what the award looks for in general. It is not a separate verdict on Shukla alone.
Rank #2
Where to start reading
PEN America names three of Shukla’s works as celebrated. The Academy of American Poets also lists a 2024 translation. The table below shows each entry point by form and what the cited sources do and do not confirm.
| Title | Form | Source that names it | Translation and publication details |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Window Lived in the Wall | Novel | PEN America announcement | Translation details not stated in the cited announcement |
| A Silent Place | Novel | PEN America announcement | Translation details not stated in the cited announcement |
| Blue Is Like Blue | Short-story collection | PEN America announcement | Translation details not stated in the cited announcement |
| Treasurer of Piggy Banks | Not stated in the cited listing | Academy of American Poets | Translated from Hindi by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra; published by Circumference Books in 2024 |
For a first book, the novels and the story collection are the entries PEN America itself highlights. Readers who want the most recent translated volume can start with Treasurer of Piggy Banks. Before buying any edition, check the current listing for language, translator, and availability, since the cited sources do not verify current stock.
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Dates and details to keep straight
- March 1, 2023: PEN America published the award announcement.
- March 2, 2023: the PEN America Literary Awards ceremony was scheduled at The Town Hall in New York City.
- Age 87: the 2023 announcement gave Shukla’s age as 87 at that time. It is not a current age.
Because the prize is annual, the 2023 recipient is a fixed historical fact. Any later recipient or ceremony detail should be checked against PEN America’s own award pages rather than assumed from this story.
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Rank #4
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