Under the second Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards 2026, the shortlist for fiction, poetry, non-fiction prose and translation categories in Hindi and English languages has been released. The works included in this list underline the diverse nature of our time, society and human sensibilities and bring forward the ideological depth and creative energy of contemporary Indian literature.
the Hindi language
Premchand Award (Fiction) – Shortlist (5)
• Long distance marriage – Mamta Kalia
• Affidavit – Raju Sharma
• Khalal – Santosh Dixit
• Meaning Hindu – Amber Pandey
• Aprem and other stories – Anil Yadav
Kabir Award (Poetry) – Shortlist (5)
• Painter’s Kitchen – Arun Kamal
• Poems of the Mad Mathematician – Udayan Vajpayee
• Monument of an Anonymous Leaf – Naresh Saxena
• Shreyasi – Vinay Kumar
• Blue Interest – Adnan Kafeel ‘Darvish’
Rahul Sankrityayan Award (Non-Fiction Prose) – Shortlist (5)
• In the name of Gandhi – Parag Mandalay
• The world of sorrow lies within – J. Sushil
• 75 years of Hindi literature – Sudhir Pachauri
• This is how divorce has passed – Seema Kapoor
• Ever since the eyes were opened – Liladhar Mandloi
Mahadevi Verma Award (Translation) – Shortlist (5)
• Corners of Civilization – Ramchandra Guha. Translation: Anil Maheshwari
• Period of Revolution of 1857 – Thomas Henry Kavanagh. Translation: Rajgopal Singh Verma
• Autobiographer in his own right – Ruskin Bond. Translation: Prabhat Singh
• Democracy’s Watchdog — Steven Levitsky, Daniel Ziblatt Translation: Abhishek Srivastava
• Sameer: A travelogue with words – Derek Bose | Translation: Morning Milind
english language
Ruskin Bond Award for Fiction (Shortlist – 5)
• The World With Its Mouth Open — Zahid Rafiq
• Muses Over Mumbai — Murzban S. Shroff
• Our Friends in Good Houses — Rahul Pandita
• The Elsewgerians: A Documentary — Jeet Thayil
• Eden Abandoned: The Story of Lillith — Shiny Antony
Sarojini Naidu Award for Poetry (Shortlist – 5)
• Freerain — Easterine Kire
• The Gallery of Upside Down Women — Arundhati Subramaniam
• Tomorrow Someone Will Arrest You — Meena Kandasamy
• So That You Know — Mani Rao
• The Hanuman Chalisa — Abhay K
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Award for Non-Fiction (Shortlist – 5)
• Father Tongue, Motherland — Peggy Mohan
• Learning from Silence – Pico Iyer
• Story of an Unknown Indian — Neha Dixit
• Shattered Lands – Sam Dalrymple
• Believer’s Dilemma — Abhishek Choudhary
Rabindranath Tagore Award for Translation (Shortlist – 5)
• Limited / Unlimited — Sankar | Translated by Arunava Sinha
• This Place of Mud and Bone – Sanjay Bista | Translated by Anurag Basnet
• The Dead Fish – Rajkamal Choudhary | Translated by Mahua Sen
• The Owl, the River, the Valley — Arupa Patangia Kalita | Translated by Mitra Phukan
• Lootaloot — Baburao Bagul | Translated by Manav Kambli
Speaking on the occasion, Deepak Madhok, President, Banaras Lit Fest, said: ‘The Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards aims to honor works that speak to their times with honesty and intellectual courage. This year’s shortlist presents a strong picture of contemporary Indian literature.
Brijesh Singh, Co-Founder and Secretary, Banaras Lit Fest, said: ‘These awards are an effort to provide a credible platform to important literature being created in different languages and genres. Our heartiest congratulations to all the writers and translators included in the shortlist.
Banaras Lit Fest heartily congratulates all the selected authors and translators. The winners of the Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards 2026 will be announced on 21 January 2026.
