Debjani Chatterjee
Debjani Chatterjee MBE (born 21 November 1952) is an Indian-born British poet and writer. She now lives in Sheffield, England.
Debjani Chatterjee | |
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| Born | 21 November 1952 Delhi, India |
| Occupation | poet, editor, writer and translator |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | BA (High Hons), MA (English and American Literature), MA (Arts Psychotherapy Practice), PGCE and PhD |
| Alma mater | American University in Cairo, University of Kent at Canterbury, University of Lancaster, Leeds Beckett University |
| Notable works | I was that woman, Namaskar, The Elephant-headed God and other Hindu tales, The most Beautiful child, Redbeck Anthology of British South-Asian Poetry, Who cares:Reminiscences of Yemeni carers, Barbed lines, Mango Shake |
| Notable awards | MBE |
| Spouse | Brian D'Arcy |
| Website | |
| dchatterjeewriter | |
Life
Chatterjee was born in Delhi and has lived in India, Japan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Egypt, and Morocco, before coming to Britain in 1972. She attended seven schools and four universities, receiving a BA from the American University in Cairo, Egypt, MA degrees from the University of Kent at Canterbury and Leeds Beckett University, and a PhD from Lancaster University, as well as a PGCE and honorary doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University.
After completing her PhD in 1977, Chatterjee worked in education. From 1984 to 1994 she was Director of Sheffield Racial Equality Council.[1]
Chatterjee has written, translated, or edited more than 65 books, starting with the poetry collection I Was That Woman in 1989. She has won a number of prizes, including the Peterloo Poets Prize, and her book The Elephant-Headed God and Other Hindu Tales was selected for Children's Books of the Year in 1990.
In August 2010 Chatterjee contributed to an eBook collection of political poems entitled Emergency Verse - Poetry in Defence of the Welfare State edited by Alan Morrison.[2]
She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours and was an Olympic Torchbearer in 2012.
Selected publications
Poetry collections
- I was that woman. Frome: Hippopotamus, 1989.
- The sun rises in the north. Huddersfield: Smith/Doorstop Books, 1991.
- Albino Gecko. Salzburg: University of Salzburg, 1998.
- Animal Antics. Hebden Bridge: Pennine Pens, 2000.[3]
- Namaskar : New and selected poems. Bradford: Redbeck Press, 2004.
- Words spit and splinter
- Do you hear the storm sing?
Edited poetry
- (ed.) Generations of ghazals by Nazir Kazmi and Basir Sultan Kazmi. Bradford: Redbeck Press, 2003.
- (ed. with Bashabi Fraser) Rainbow world: Poems from many cultures. London: Hodder Wayland, 2003. Illustrated by Kelly Waldeck.
- (ed.) Masala : Poems from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. London: Macmillan Children's Books, 2005.
- (ed.) The Redbeck Anthology of British South-Asian Poetry. Bradford: Redbeck Press, 2000.
- (ed. with Brian D'Arcy) Let's celebrate! Poems about festivals from around the world. London : Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2011. Illustrated by Shirin Adl.
- (ed. with Brian D'Arcy) Let's play! Poems about games and sports from around the world. London : Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2013. Illustrated by Shirin Adl.
Prose
- The role of religion in "A passage to India". Calcutta, 1984.
- The elephant-headed god and other Hindu tales. Cambridge: Lutterworth Press, 1989.
- The monkey god and other Hindu tales. New Delhi, India : Rupa & Co., 1993.
- The most beautiful child. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1996.
- (ed.) Mango Shake. Birmingham: Tindal Street Press, 2006.
Bilingual anthologies
- (ed. with Rashida Islam) Barbed lines. Sheffield: Bengali Women's Support Group; Castleford: Yorkshire Art Circus, 1990. Parallel texts in English and Bengali. Winner of the Raymond Williams Community Publishing Prize.[1]
- (ed. with Rehana Chaudhury) The snake prince & other folk tales from Bengal = Nāgarāja ebaṃ Bāṃlāra anyānya pallī gāthā. Sheffield : BWSG Book Project, 1999. In Bengali and English.
- (ed. with Abdul Razak Saleh) Who cares? Reminiscences of Yemeni carers in Sheffield. Sheffield: Princess Royal Trust Sheffield Carers Centre, 2001. In Arabic and English.
- (ed. with Rashida Islam) Śephilḍera eka phāli = Slice of Sheffield. Sheffield: Sheffield Galleries & Museums Trust and Sahitya Press, 2005. In Bengali and English.
Translations
- (trans. with Tara Chatterjee) Album by Uma Prasad Mukherjee
- Existence (Ostittwo) by Sanjay Bhattacharyya
- Deep Dark Sigh (Dhushor dirgho'shaash) by Sanjay Bhattacharyya
Awards and prizes
- 2016 - Word Masala Excellence in Poetry Award
- 2015 - Word Masala Lifetime Achievement in Poetry
- 2014 onwards - Royal Literary Fund Associate Fellow
- 2012, 2013, 2014 - Royal Literary Fellowship at Leeds Trinity University
- 2012 - Olympic Torchbearer in Sheffield (in the Arts & Culture category)
- 2011 - Paper Tigers chose Let's Celebrate! Festival Poems... as Book of the Month
- 2009 - 1st Prize in Muse India Poetry Translation Competition with poems & songs by Kazi Nazrul Islam
- 2008 - Runner-up in Muse India Short Story Competition
- 2008 - MBE for 'services to Literature' in the Queen's New Year Honours
- 17 March 2008 - Irish Community Recognition & Honour Award from Sheffield Irish Society
- 2007 - Mango Shake selected Book of the Birmingham Festival
- 2006-2009 - Royal Literary Fellowship at York St John University
- 2004 - Rainbow World selected as EMMA (Ethnic & Multicultural Media Award) Finalist
- 2006 - Honorary Life Membership & Certificate from Nasir Kazmi Society, Lahore, for fulfilling the Society's aims & especially for her work in editing and translating Generations of Ghazals: Ghazals by Nasir Kazmi & Basir Sultan Kazmi
- 21 Nov. 2002 - Honorary doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University for 'outstanding contribution to Literature, the Arts & Community Service'
- 2000 - Raymond Williams Runner-up Prize for The Redbeck Anthology of British South Asian Poetry
- 1999 - 'Khitish' shortlisted by Matthew Sweeney as one of the best poems published by Crocus in Manchester
- 1997 - 'Fifty Years Late' selected Poem of the Month by the Poetry Society
- 1995 - Arts Council 'Women in the Arts Travel Award'
- 1995 - Yorkshire & Humberside Arts Writer's Award for poetry
- 1994 - Bengali Women's Support Group won a National Adult Learners' Group Award for their contribution to the Sahitya Press anthology Sweet & Sour / Omlo Modhur
- 1992 - 2nd Prize for 'Visiting E M Forster' in the Southport Writers Circle Open Poetry Competition
- 1992 - 'Invitation to the Party' won Special Mention in the Ripley Poetry Competition
- 1992 - 'Words Between Us' Highly Commended in the Bournemouth International Festival Poetry Competition
- 1992 - 'Koinobori' Commended in the English Explorer Magazine National Poetry Competition
- 1990 - First Prize for Barbed Lines / Katar Rekha in the Raymond Williams Community Publishing Competition
- 1990 - The Elephant-Headed God & Other Hindu Tales selected for Children's Books of the Year
- 1989 - Lancaster Litfest Poetry Prize for 'The Elephant'
- 1989 - Peterloo Poets Prize for 'The Parrot Fortune-Teller' & 'To the English Language'
- 1989 - 'Two-faced' (short story) shortlisted for Artrage Literature Awards
- 1989 - 'Paolozzi's Magic Kingdom' (poem) shortlisted for Artrage Literature Awards
- 1968 - Shankar's International Children's Prize for Poetry
OTHER PRIZES, AWARDS & HONOURS
- June 2010 - Finalist for the Lesley Pearse Woman of Courage Award, Penguin Books
- 17 March 2009 - Irish Festival Certificate for 'outstanding contribution to the Irish community & Irish festivals', from Sheffield Irish Society
- 1976 - Senate Studentship at the University of Lancaster
- 1969, 1971, 1972 - President's Scholarship, American University in Cairo
- 1968, 1970 - Full Tuition Scholarship, American University in Cairo
External links
References
- Paola Marchionni (2002). "Chatterjee, Debjani". In Alison Donnell (ed.). Companion to Contemporary Black British Culture. Routledge. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-134-70025-7.
- The Recusant eZine
- "Pennine Pens: Animal Antics". www.penninepens.co.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
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