Prizing India’s literature in English: The JCB Prize and the representation of Indian novels

This article examines the proliferation of literary prizes in contemporary India through a focused analysis of the JCB Prize for Literature (2018–2025) and its role in reshaping the representation of Indian literary fiction nationally and internationally. Although the prize was discontinued in 2025, the article argues that prior to its establishment, Indian literary fiction in anglophone media — both domestic and international — was overwhelmingly represented by Indian authors writing originally in English. The JCB Prize challenged this dominance by consecrating novels written across India’s diverse languages through their English translations. While the prize was restricted to Indian fiction produced in English — defined as works either originally written in or translated into English — it departed from earlier models by making originals and translations compete within a single prizing category. In doing so, the JCB Prize produced a homogenized yet multilingual representation of Indian literature in English. The article shows that the JCB Prize acquired a dominant position within India’s literary discourse through specific institutional strategies aimed at correcting the under-representation of translated fiction, including citizenship criteria for authors, the requirement that books be published in India, and a mandatory quota for publishers to submit translated works.