Shankari Chandran (born 1974/75) is a British-Australian novelist. She won the 2023

Miles Franklin Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the Will (law), will of Miles Franklin ...

with her third novel, '' Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens''.

Career

Chandran was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1974/75, then grew up in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

. Her parents were

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

refugees from Sri Lanka. She studied law at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

, then worked as a human rights lawyer in London. Her first novel, ''Song of the Sun God'', was published in Sri Lanka in January 2017 and was longlisted for the 2019

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award (), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. It promotes excellence in world literature and is solely ...

. It was published in Australia in November 2022 by Ultimo Press. Charithra Chandran was given the lead role in a six-part adaptation, also named ''Song of the Sun God''. Her second novel, ''The Barrier'', was published in Australia in June 2017. It was a finalist for the Norma K. Hemming Award for a Long Work of science fiction as an "exploration of themes of race, gender, class and sexuality in science fiction produced either in Australia or by Australian citizens". She followed up with '' Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens'' in 2022. It won the 2023

and was longlisted for the Best Designed Commercial Fiction Cover at the 2023 Australian Publishers' Association Book Design Awards for Jessica Cruickshank's design. Her fourth novel, ''Safe Haven'', was published in May 2024 by Ultimo Press. In addition to her novels, Chandran contributed a chapter to ''Another Australia : Twelve diverse writers reveal another Australia hidden behind, beneath and beside the country we think we know'', and an essay, "An Archive for the Dispossessed" to the

Griffith Review ''Griffith Review'' is a quarterly publication featuring essays, reportage, memoir, fiction, poetry and artwork from established and emerging writers and artists. The publication was founded in 2003 by Griffith University in Australia, and was ...

Works

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chandran, Shankari Living people 21st-century Australian women writers 21st-century Australian novelists University of New South Wales Law School alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Australian people of Sri Lankan descent Australian women lawyers