Elected: 2022
Meena Kandasamy (b. 1984) is an anti-caste activist, poet, novelist and translator. Her writing deconstructs trauma and violence while spotlighting the militant, collective resistance against caste, gender and state oppression. She explores this overarching theme in her books of poems Touch (2006) and Ms. Militancy (2010), and her three novels: The Gypsy Goddess (2014), When I Hit You (2017), Exquisite Cadavers (2019). Her novels have been shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, International Dylan Thomas Prize, Jhalak Prize and Hindu Lit Prize. She holds a PhD in sociolinguistics.
Image credit Varun Vasudevan.
Fellows are nominated by peers and elected by our Council of writers – our governing Board. Being elected a Fellow of the RSL is a lifetime honour. This role gives them the opportunity to support other writers, readers and the future of literature. The RSL connects writers in the Fellowship to one another, and to a wider readership.
