Suzanna Arundhati Roy (Bengali pronunciation: [orundʱotirae̯]; born 24 November 1961) is an Indian author widely recognized for her 1997 novel, The God of Small Things. This work secured the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997 and achieved distinction as the highest-selling book by an Indian author residing in India. Beyond her literary career, Roy is a prominent political activist advocating for human rights and environmental protection. In 2024, she was awarded the PEN Pinter Prize by English PEN. Roy designated the imprisoned British-Egyptian writer and activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah as the "Writer of Courage," electing to share the award with him.
Early life
Arundhati Roy's birth occurred on 24 November 1961, in Shillong, within the former Indian state of Undivided Assam (currently Meghalaya, India), to a Christian family. Her mother, Mary Roy, was a Malayali Christian women's rights activist originating from Aymanam, Kerala, and was affiliated with the Jacobite Syrian denomination. Her father, Rajib Roy, a Bengali Christian tea plantation manager from Kolkata, West Bengal, was raised within the Brahmo Samaj monotheistic ethnoreligion before converting to Christianity later in his life. In September 2020, Roy refuted erroneous claims regarding her Brahmin caste background, affirming her Christian family origins.
Roy's father struggled with alcoholism. At the age of two, her parents divorced, leading her to relocate to Kerala with her mother and brother. The family resided for a period with Roy's maternal grandfather in Ooty, Tamil Nadu. Upon reaching age five, the family returned to Kerala, where her mother established a school. Her education commenced at Corpus Christi in Kottayam, Kerala, subsequently continuing at the Lawrence School in Lovedale, Tamil Nadu.
Subsequently, Roy pursued architectural studies at the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi, where she encountered architect Gerard da Cunha. Their marriage took place in 1978, and they resided in Delhi and later in Goa, divorcing in 1982. Following her divorce, Roy returned to Delhi and secured employment at the National Institute of Urban Affairs.
Career
Early career: screenplays
During the initial phase of her career, Roy engaged with both television and film industries. In 1985, she acted in Massey Sahib. Roy authored the screenplays for In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones (1989), a film drawing from her architectural student experiences and featuring her as a performer, and Electric Moon (1992). Both films were directed by her then-husband, Pradip Krishen, during their marriage. For In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones, Roy received the National Film Award for Best Screenplay in 1988. In 1994, Roy garnered significant attention for her critique of Shekhar Kapur's film Bandit Queen, a production based on the life of Phoolan Devi. Within her film review, "The Great Indian Rape Trick," Roy challenged the ethical implications of "restaging the rape of a living woman without her permission," accusing Kapur of exploiting Devi and distorting both her life and its significance.
The God of Small Things
Roy commenced writing her debut novel, The God of Small Things, in 1992, concluding it by 1996. This novel is partially autobiographical, with a substantial portion depicting her childhood experiences in Aymanam.
The release of The God of Small Things propelled Roy to international recognition. The novel was awarded the 1997 Booker Prize for Fiction and was recognized by The New York Times as one of its Notable Books of the Year. It attained the fourth position on The New York Times Bestsellers list within the Independent Fiction category. The book also achieved immediate commercial success, evidenced by Roy receiving a publishing advance of half a million pounds. Published in May, the book had been distributed in 18 countries by the close of June.
The God of Small Things garnered highly positive reviews from prominent American newspapers, including The New York Times, which described it as a "dazzling first novel," "extraordinary," and "at once so morally strenuous and so imaginatively supple." The Los Angeles Times lauded it as "a novel of poignancy and considerable sweep," while Canadian publications like the Toronto Star praised it as "a lush, magical novel." Time magazine recognized it as one of the five best books of 1997. Conversely, critical reception in the United Kingdom proved less favorable, and the Booker Prize award generated controversy. Carmen Callil, a 1996 Booker Prize judge, deemed the novel "execrable," and a Guardian journalist characterized its content as "profoundly depressing." Within India, E. K. Nayanar, who served as the chief minister of Roy's home state of Kerala at the time, specifically criticized the book's explicit portrayal of sexuality, leading Roy to face obscenity charges.
Later career
Following the success of her debut novel, Roy authored the television serial The Banyan Tree and the 2002 documentary DAM/AGE: A Film with Arundhati Roy.
In early 2007, Roy announced her work on a second novel, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness.
Roy contributed to We Are One: A Celebration of Tribal Peoples, a 2009 publication that examines global indigenous cultures, highlighting their diversity and the threats they face. Royalties from the book's sales are directed to Survival International, an indigenous rights organization.
Roy has authored numerous essays addressing contemporary political and cultural topics. In 2014, Penguin India published these essays as a five-volume collection. Subsequently, in 2019, Haymarket Books released her collected nonfiction in a single volume titled My Seditious Heart.
In October 2016, Penguin India and Hamish Hamilton UK announced the June 2017 publication of her second novel, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. This novel was longlisted for the 2017 Man Booker Prize and became a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction in January 2018.
Roy's memoir, Mother Mary Comes to Me, published in September 2025, chronicles her early life with her mother, whom Roy describes as "my shelter and my storm." The memoir was adapted into a five-part series for BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week.
Her 1989 film, In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones, underwent restoration and was slated for screening at the 2026 Berlin Film Festival, where Arundhati Roy was expected to attend. However, she withdrew her participation after the jury president, German filmmaker Wim Wenders, stated in response to a journalist's inquiry that the jury "has to stay out of politics."
Influences
Roy identifies William Shakespeare, Rudyard Kipling, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, John Berger, James Joyce, Vladimir Nabokov, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez as significant influences. She has articulated her gratitude for the insights gained not only from esteemed authors but also from a diverse range of individuals, including "imperialists, sexists, friends, lovers, oppressors, revolutionaries—everybody," asserting that "Everybody has something to teach a writer."
Advocacy
Since the 1997 publication of The God of Small Things, Roy has dedicated a substantial portion of her efforts to political activism and nonfiction writing, including essay collections on social issues. She serves as a prominent voice for the anti-globalization/alter-globalization movement and is a vocal critic of neo-imperialism and US foreign policy. Roy opposes India's nuclear weapons policies, as well as its industrialization and economic growth, which she characterizes as "encrypted with genocidal potential" in Listening to Grasshoppers: Field Notes on Democracy. Furthermore, she has challenged the actions of the Indian police and administration concerning the 2001 Indian Parliament attack and the Batla House encounter case, arguing that the nation possesses a "shadowy history of suspicious terror attacks, murky investigations, and fake encounters."
During a conversation with Parvathi Thiruvothu at the Wayanad Literature Festival, Roy articulated that her protests and writing stem not from bravery, but from a desire for space to "breathe and create." She emphasized that the ability to produce art and make errors is contingent upon individuals having such space, concluding with the metaphor, "Open the windows."
Support for Kashmiri separatism
In an August 2008 interview with The Times of India, Roy voiced her support for Kashmiri independence from India. This statement followed large-scale demonstrations in 2008, including a rally of approximately 500,000 people in Srinagar on August 18, 2008, advocating for independence in the Kashmir region of Jammu and Kashmir state, subsequent to the Amarnath land transfer controversy. Roy interpreted these rallies as an indication of the Kashmiri populace's desire for secession from India, rather than union. Her comments drew criticism from both the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Satya Prakash Malaviya, an All India Congress Committee member and senior Congress party leader, urged Roy to retract her "irresponsible" statement, asserting that it was "contrary to historical facts."
She would benefit from reviewing historical knowledge, recognizing that the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir formally acceded to the Union of India when its former ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh, properly signed the Instrument of Accession on October 26, 1947. Consequently, the state has become an integral component of India, akin to all other former princely states.
Delhi Police charged her, along with separatist Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and other individuals, with sedition following an "anti-India" speech delivered at a 2010 Kashmir convention titled "Azadi: The Only Way." The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) was subsequently invoked against these individuals in June 2024.
Roy has faced significant criticism for her assertions that India has "perpetually waged war" against its own citizens in regions such as Kashmir, Manipur, and Goa. Former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal accused her of endorsing terrorism against India, alleging that she "blatantly distorts the truth to support her deeply communal and anarchist agenda." Sibal further characterized her depiction of India as "venomous against her own country" and "deeply anti-Hindu."
Sardar Sarovar Project
Roy, alongside activist Medha Patkar, has actively campaigned against the Narmada dam project, arguing that its construction would displace half a million people with inadequate compensation and fail to deliver its promised irrigation, drinking water, and other benefits. She contributed her Booker Prize earnings and royalties from her books concerning the project to the Narmada Bachao Andolan. Roy also features in Franny Armstrong's 2002 documentary, Drowned Out, which examines the project. Her opposition to the Narmada Dam project drew criticism from Congress and BJP leaders in Gujarat, who accused her of "maligning Gujarat."
In 2002, the Supreme Court of India issued a contempt notice against Roy. In her affidavit response, she contended that the court's decision to initiate contempt proceedings based on an unsubstantiated and flawed petition, while simultaneously declining to investigate corruption allegations in military contracting due to an asserted case overload, demonstrated a "disquieting inclination" to suppress criticism and dissent through its contempt powers. The court determined that Roy's statement, which she neither disavowed nor apologized for, constituted criminal contempt, resulting in a "symbolic" one-day imprisonment and a fine of ₹2500. Roy served the prison sentence and paid the fine, thereby avoiding an additional three months of incarceration for non-payment.
Environmental historian Ramachandra Guha has expressed criticism regarding Roy's activism concerning the Narmada dam. While acknowledging her "courage and commitment" to the cause, Guha argues that her advocacy is often hyperbolic and self-indulgent, stating that "Ms. Roy's tendency to exaggerate and simplify, her Manichaean view of the world, and her shrill hectoring tone, have given a bad name to environmental analysis." He also criticized Roy's remarks about Supreme Court judges presiding over a petition filed by the Narmada Bachao Andolan, deeming them careless and irresponsible.
Roy, however, asserts that her passionate and "hysterical" tone is deliberate, explaining: "I am hysterical. I'm screaming from the bloody rooftops. And he and his smug little club are going 'Shhhh... you'll wake the neighbours!' I want to wake the neighbours, that's my whole point. I want everybody to open their eyes".
Gail Omvedt and Roy engaged in intense yet constructive discussions, documented in open letters, regarding Roy's strategic approach to the Narmada Dam movement. Their disagreement centered on whether to advocate for a complete halt to dam construction, as Roy proposed, or to seek intermediate alternatives, as suggested by Omvedt.
US foreign policy, war in Afghanistan
In a September 2001 opinion piece for The Guardian, titled "The Algebra of Infinite Justice," Roy addressed the US military invasion of Afghanistan. She challenged the premise that the war constituted retaliation for the September 11 attacks, stating: "The bombing of Afghanistan is not revenge for New York and Washington. It is yet another act of terror against the people of the world." In her view, both US President George W. Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair exhibited Orwellian doublethink:
When he announced the air strikes, President George Bush said: "We're a peaceful nation." America's favourite ambassador, Tony Blair, (who also holds the portfolio of prime minister of the UK), echoed him: "We're a peaceful people." So now we know. Pigs are horses. Girls are boys. War is peace.
Roy contested US assertions of being a peaceful and freedom-loving nation, citing China and 19 "Third World" countries that the United States had engaged in conflict with and bombed since World War II. She also highlighted prior US support for both the Taliban movement and the Northern Alliance, noting that the latter's "track record is not very different from the Taliban's." She also criticized the Taliban, stating:
"Now, as adults and rulers, the Taliban beat, stone, rape, and brutalise women, they don't seem to know what else to do with them."
Ultimately, Roy identifies American capitalism as the primary cause, stating:
"In America, the arms industry, the oil industry, the major media networks, and, indeed, U.S. foreign policy, are all controlled by the same business combines".
She equates the attacks on the World Trade Center and Afghanistan, categorizing both as terrorism, and laments the perceived loss of beauty post-2001, questioning whether it would ever be possible to experience simple natural wonders without recalling these events.
In May 2003, Roy delivered a speech at Riverside Church in New York City, titled "Instant-Mix Imperial Democracy (Buy One, Get One Free)." In this address, she characterized the United States as a global empire asserting the right to bomb any population at will, claiming its authority directly from divine mandate. This speech served as a strong condemnation of U.S. involvement in the Iraq War. Subsequently, in June 2005, she participated in the World Tribunal on Iraq. In March 2006, she publicly criticized President George W. Bush's "
India's nuclear weaponry
Following India's nuclear weapons tests in Pokhran, Rajasthan, Roy authored The End of Imagination (1998), a critical analysis of the Indian government's nuclear policies. This work was subsequently included in her 1999 collection, The Cost of Living, where she also advocated against extensive hydroelectric dam projects across India's central and western states, specifically Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat.
Israel
In August 2006, Roy, alongside Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, and other signatories, co-signed a letter published in The Guardian that characterized the 2006 Lebanon War as a "war crime" and accused Israel of "state terror." In 2007, Roy joined over 100 artists and writers in signing an open letter, initiated by Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism and the South West Asian, North African Bay Area Queers. This letter urged the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival to support an international boycott of Israeli political and cultural institutions by ceasing Israeli consulate sponsorship and co-sponsorship of festival events. During the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, she defended Hamas's rocket attacks, asserting the Palestinians' right to resistance. In December 2023, amidst Israel's bombing campaign in Gaza, Roy stated that silence regarding "Israel's brazen slaughter of Palestinians," particularly when live-streamed, constitutes complicity. In October 2024, Roy, along with thousands of other writers, signed an open letter committing to a boycott of Israeli cultural institutions. In February 2026, Roy withdrew from the Berlin International Film Festival, expressing "disgust" over comments by jury president Wim Wenders, who advocated avoiding politics, and what she termed the jury members' "unconscionable statements" concerning Israel's actions in Gaza. She subsequently characterized the 2026 Iran war as "a continuation of the US-Israeli genocide in Gaza."
2001 Indian parliament attack
Roy has publicly questioned the investigation and subsequent trial concerning the 2001 Indian Parliament attack. She contended that Mohammad Afzal Guru was being made a scapegoat. She highlighted procedural irregularities within the judicial and investigative processes, asserting that the case remains unresolved. In her publication addressing Guru's execution, she posited the existence of evidence indicating state complicity in the terrorist incident. Conversely, journalist Praveen Swami, in an editorial for The Hindu, argued that Roy's evidence of state complicity was "cherry-picked for polemical effect."
Roy additionally advocated for a stay of Guru's death sentence pending a parliamentary inquiry into the raised concerns, and she condemned the media's coverage of the trial. BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar criticized Roy for designating Afzal a "prisoner of war," labeling her a "prisoner of her own dogma." Afzal Guru was executed in 2013, an event Roy described as "a stain on India's democracy."
The Muthanga incident
In 2003, the Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha, a social movement advocating for Adivasi land rights in Kerala, orchestrated a significant land occupation. This event occurred on a former Eucalyptus plantation within the Muthanga Wildlife Reserve, situated at the Kerala-Karnataka border. After 48 days, law enforcement was deployed to the region to forcibly remove the occupiers. The confrontation resulted in the deaths of one movement participant and a police officer, leading to the arrest of the movement's leaders. Roy subsequently visited the area, met with the imprisoned leaders, and addressed an open letter to A. K. Antony, then Chief Minister of Kerala, stating: "You have blood on your hands."
Comments on 2008 Mumbai attacks
In a December 2008 opinion piece published in The Guardian, Roy contended that the 2008 Mumbai attacks should not be viewed in isolation. Instead, she argued they must be contextualized within broader historical and societal issues of the region, including pervasive poverty, the Partition of India (which she termed "Britain's final, parting kick to us"), the atrocities of the 2002 Gujarat violence, and the persistent Kashmir conflict. Notwithstanding her emphasis on context, Roy explicitly stated in the article that she considers "nothing can justify terrorism," characterizing it as "a heartless ideology." She cautioned against military conflict with Pakistan, asserting the difficulty in "pin[ning] down the provenance of a terrorist strike and isolat[ing] it within the borders of a single nation state," and warned that such a war could precipitate "the descent of the whole region into chaos." Salman Rushdie and other commentators vehemently criticized her statements, condemning her for associating the Mumbai attacks with the Kashmir issue and economic disparities faced by Muslims in India. Rushdie specifically faulted Roy for undermining the iconic status of the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower. Indian writer Tavleen Singh described Roy's comments as "the latest of her series of hysterical diatribes against India and all things Indian."
Criticism of Sri Lankan government
In an opinion piece published in The Guardian, Roy appealed for international scrutiny regarding what she termed a potential government-sponsored genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka. She referenced reports detailing camps where Tamils were being confined, characterizing this as part of "a brazen, openly racist war." Furthermore, she asserted that the "Government of Sri Lanka is on the verge of committing what could end up being genocide" and likened the Sri Lankan Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, where Tamil civilians were detained, to concentration camps. Sri Lankan writer Ruvani Freeman characterized Roy's comments as "ill-informed and hypocritical," criticizing her for "whitewashing the atrocities of the LTTE." In response to such accusations, Roy stated: "I cannot admire those whose vision can only accommodate justice for their own and not for everybody. However, I do believe that the LTTE and its fetish for violence was cultured in the crucible of monstrous, racist, injustice that the Sri Lankan government and to a great extent Sinhala society visited on the Tamil people for decades."
Views on the Naxalites
Roy has criticized the Indian government's military operations against the Naxalite-Maoist insurgency, labeling it a "war on the poorest people in the country." She contended that the government has "abdicated its responsibility to the people" and initiated the offensive against the Naxals to benefit corporations with whom it has signed Memoranda of Understanding. Although her views have garnered support from various factions, Roy's characterization of the Maoists as "Gandhians" sparked controversy. In alternative statements, she has portrayed Naxalites as "patriots of a kind" who are "fighting to implement the Constitution, (while) the government is vandalising it."
Sedition charges
In November 2010, the Delhi Police filed sedition charges against Roy, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, and five other individuals. This First Information Report was initiated subsequent to a local court's directive, which arose from a petition by Sushil Pandit. Pandit alleged that Geelani and Roy delivered anti-India speeches at a conference titled "Azadi-the Only Way" on October 21, 2010. Roy's specific statements included: "Kashmir has never been an integral part of India. It is a historical fact. Even the Indian government has accepted this." A Delhi city court subsequently instructed the police to address the request for a criminal case, following the central government's refusal to prosecute Roy, citing the inappropriateness of the charges.
Criticism of Anna Hazare
In an opinion piece published in The Hindu on August 21, 2011, during the peak of Anna Hazare's anti-corruption campaign, Roy critiqued Hazare and his movement. Within this article, she challenged Hazare's secular standing, highlighting the campaign's corporate support, its questionable timing, and Hazare's lack of comment on private-sector corruption. She also voiced concerns that the Lokpal mechanism would ultimately establish "two oligarchies, instead of just one." Roy asserted that while Hazare's "means may be Gandhian, his demands are certainly not," and contended that by "demonising only the Government," proponents were paving the way for "more privatisation, more access to public infrastructure and India's natural resources." She further suggested that "it may not be long before Corporate Corruption is made legal and renamed a Lobbying Fee." She additionally accused the electronic media of disproportionately amplifying the campaign. In an interview with Kindle Magazine, Roy highlighted the influence of media sensationalism and target demographics on the effectiveness of hunger strikes "as a tool of political mobilization." She drew a contrast between the extensive media coverage of Hazare's fast and the relative lack of attention given to Irom Sharmila's decade-long fast, which aimed "to demand the repealing of a law that allows non-commissioned officers to kill on suspicion—a law that has led to so much suffering." Roy's comparison of the Jan Lokpal Bill to the Maoists, asserting that both aimed for "the overthrow of the Indian State," provoked strong disapproval from members of Team Anna. Medha Patkar responded sharply, labeling Roy's comments "highly misplaced" and underscoring the movement's "peaceful, non-violent" character. Roy further articulated that "an 'anti-corruption' campaign is a catch-all campaign," encompassing "everybody from the extreme left to the extreme right and also the extremely corrupt," since "no one's going to say they are for corruption after all." She clarified, "I'm not against a strong anti-corruption bill, but corruption is just a manifestation of a problem, not the problem itself."
Views on Narendra Modi
In 2013, Roy characterized Narendra Modi's nomination for prime minister as a "tragedy." She suggested that business entities supported his candidacy due to his perceived status as the "most militaristic and aggressive" candidate. Roy has contended that Modi exerts a degree of control over India largely unrecognized in the Western world, stating: "He is the system. He has the backing of the media. He has the backing of the army, the courts, a majoritarian popular vote... Every institution has fallen in line." She has conveyed profound pessimism regarding the future, describing Modi's long-term vision for a highly centralized Hindu state as "suicidal" for the multicultural subcontinent. On April 28, 2021, The Guardian published an article by Roy that depicted the Indian government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as a "crime against humanity." The Washington Post subsequently reported that Roy "slammed Modi for his handling of the pandemic" in this piece. Roy's opinion piece also appeared in The Wire under the title "It's Not Enough to Say the Govt Has Failed. We Are Witnessing a Crime Against Humanity."
Remarks about National Registers
During a speech at Delhi University on December 25, 2019, Roy encouraged individuals to provide misleading information to authorities during the impending enumeration for the National Population Register, which she claimed could function as a database for the National Register of Citizens. These statements drew criticism from both the Congress party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A formal complaint was filed against her at the Tilak Marg police station in Delhi, citing sections 295A, 504, 153, and 120B of the Indian Penal Code. Roy responded by stating, "What I was proposing was civil disobedience with a smile," and asserted that her comments had been misrepresented.
Awards and recognition
Roy received the 1997 Booker Prize for her novel The God of Small Things. The award included a prize of approximately US$30,000 and a citation proclaiming, "The book keeps all the promises that it makes." Roy contributed both the prize money and royalties from her book to various human rights initiatives. Before receiving the Booker Prize, Roy earned the National Film Award for Best Screenplay in 1989 for her work on In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones, a screenplay that depicted the distress experienced by students in professional institutions. In 2015, she returned the national award to protest against religious intolerance and the escalating violence perpetrated by right-wing groups in India.
In 2002, she was honored with the Lannan Foundation's Cultural Freedom Award for her contributions "about civil societies that are adversely affected by the world's most powerful governments and corporations," presented "to celebrate her life and her ongoing work in the struggle for freedom, justice and cultural diversity."
In 2003, she received special recognition as a Woman of Peace at the Global Exchange Human Rights Awards, held in San Francisco, alongside Bianca Jagger, Barbara Lee, and Kathy Kelly.
Roy received the Sydney Peace Prize in May 2004, acknowledging her contributions to social campaigns and her commitment to non-violence. Later that year, the National Council of Teachers of English presented her with the Orwell Award, an honor she shared with Seymour Hersh.
In January 2006, Roy was granted the Sahitya Akademi Award, a prestigious national honor from India's Academy of Letters, for her essay collection, The Algebra of Infinite Justice, which addressed contemporary issues. However, she refused the award, stating her protest against the Indian Government's alignment with US policies, specifically citing its "violent and ruthless pursuit of policies involving the brutalization of industrial workers, increasing militarization, and economic neo-liberalization".
In November 2011, she was honored with the Norman Mailer Prize for Distinguished Writing.
Roy was included in the 2014 Time 100 list, recognizing her as one of the world's 100 most influential individuals.
St. Louis University presented Roy with the 2022 St. Louis Literary Award, an accolade bestowed upon "the most important writers of our time" to commemorate "the contributions of literature in enriching our lives." The award ceremony took place on April 28, 2022.
In September 2023, Roy was honored with the lifetime achievement award at the 45th European Essay Prize, specifically for the French translation of her book Azadi.
In June 2024, Roy was declared the recipient of the annual PEN Pinter Prize, an award presented by the human rights organization English PEN. This prize recognizes a writer who, as described by the late playwright Harold Pinter, maintains an "unflinching, unswerving" perspective on the world and demonstrates "fierce intellectual determination ... to define the real truth of our lives and our societies." Ruth Borthwick, chair of English PEN, commented that Roy conveys "urgent stories of injustice with wit and beauty."
In August 2024, Roy and Toomaj Salehi jointly received the Disturbing the Peace Award, an honor granted by the Vaclav Havel Center to courageous writers facing adversity. Bill Shipsey, the award committee chair, described them as "wonderful exemplars of the spirit of Václav Havel."
On October 10, 2024, Roy designated the imprisoned British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah as the international "writer of courage" with whom she opted to share the 2024 PEN Pinter Prize. This announcement occurred during a ceremony at the British Library, where Roy delivered her acceptance speech. Author and journalist Naomi Klein also spoke, commending the work of both Roy and Abd El-Fattah. Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the independent online Egyptian newspaper Mada Masr, accepted the award on Abd El-Fattah's behalf.
In March 2026, Roy's autobiography, Mother Mary Comes to Me, was awarded the National Book Critics Circle Award for Memoir and Autobiography.
Personal life
In 1984, Roy encountered independent filmmaker Pradip Krishen, who cast her as a goatherd in his acclaimed film Massey Sahib. They married that same year. Their collaborations included a television series focusing on India's independence movement, as well as two films: In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones (1989) and Electric Moon (1992). Becoming disillusioned with the film industry, Roy explored diverse areas, such as conducting aerobics classes. Roy and Krishen remain married but reside separately.
Roy is a cousin of Prannoy Roy, who previously headed the Indian television media group NDTV. She resides in Delhi and is proficient in reading, writing, and speaking English, Hindi, and Malayalam.
Bibliography
Fiction
Non-fiction
References
- Balvannanadhan, Aïda (2007). Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things. New Delhi: Prestige Books. ISBN 978-81-7551-193-4.
- Bhatt, Indira; Indira Nityanandam (1999). Explorations: Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things. New Delhi: Creative Books. ISBN 81-86318-56-9.
- "The Politics of Design", in Ch'ien, Evelyn Nien-Ming (2005). Weird English. Harvard University Press. pp. 154–199. ISBN 978-0-674-01819-8.
- Dhawan, R.K. (1999). Arundhati Roy: The Novelist Extraordinary. New Delhi: Prestige Books. ISBN 81-7551-060-9.
- Dodiya, Jaydipsinh; Joya Chakravarty (1999). The Critical Studies of Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things. New Delhi: Atlantic. ISBN 81-7156-850-5.
- Durix, Carole; Jean-Pierre Durix (2002). Reading Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things. Dijon: Editions universitaires de Dijon. ISBN 2-905965-80-0.
- Ghosh, Ranjan; Antonia Navarro-Tejero (2009). Globalizing Dissent: Essays on Arundhati Roy. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-99559-7.
- Mullaney, Julie (2002). Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things: A Reader's Guide. New York: Continuum. ISBN 0-8264-5327-9.
- Navarro-Tejero, Antonia (2005). Gender and Caste in the Anglophone-Indian Novels of Arundhati Roy and Githa Hariharan: Feminist Issues in Cross-cultural Perspective. Lewiston: Edwin Mellen. ISBN 0-7734-5995-2.
- Pathak, R. S. (2001). The Fictional World of Arundhati Roy. New Delhi: Creative Books. ISBN 81-86318-84-4.
- Prasad, Murari (2006). Arundhati Roy: Critical Perspectives. Delhi: Pencraft International. ISBN 81-85753-76-8.
- Roy, Amitabh (2005). The God of Small Things: A Novel of Social Commitment. Atlantic. pp. 37–38. ISBN 978-81-269-0409-9.
- Sharma, A. P. (2000). The Mind and the Art of Arundhati Roy: A Critical Appraisal of Her Novel, The God of Small Things. New Delhi: Minerva. ISBN 81-7662-120-X.
- Shashi, R. S.; Bala Talwar (1998). Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things: Critique and Commentary. New Delhi: Creative Books. ISBN 81-86318-54-2.
- Tickell, Alex (2007). Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-35842-2.
Other
- The political documentary We explores Roy's statements and is accessible online.
- Cowshish, Atul. "Arundhati Roy Denounces Indian Democracy." Asian Tribune, July 6, 2006.
- Carreira, Shirley de S. G. "The Representation of Women in Salman Rushdie's Shame and Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things." In: Monteiro, Conceição & Lima, Tereza M. de O. (eds.). Rio de Janeiro: Caetés, 2005.
- Ch'ien, Evelyn Nien-Ming. "The Politics of Design." In Weird English. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2004, pp. 154–199. This essay analyzes Roy's linguistic style.
- Arundhati Roy's profile on IMDb.
- Biography available through the South Asian Women Network (SAWNET), featuring authors.
- A collection of news articles and commentary by Arundhati Roy published in The Guardian.
- Archive of columns published in The Guardian.
- Recordings of appearances on C-SPAN.
- Interviews and speeches
- The complete text of the I.G. Khan Memorial Lecture, titled "How Deep Shall We Dig," delivered at Aligarh Muslim University on April 6, 2004, was published in Outlook on May 6, 2004.
- An interview with Howard Zinn, titled "Come September," appeared in Outlook in September 2008.
- An interview with Arundhati Roy conducted by Avi Lewis for Al Jazeera's Fault Lines aired on August 29, 2010 (video, 23 minutes).
- Arundhati Roy delivered "Things That Can and Cannot Be Said: The Dismantling of the World as We Knew It" as the Stuart Hall Foundation's Annual Autumn Keynote in September 2022.
- A discussion titled "Arundhati Roy Talks About Her Life and Views on the World" was featured on Storytellers' Studio, a program by the Higher Education Channel, on September 29, 2022.
- Arundhati Roy delivered a lecture upon receiving the 45th European Essay Prize in Lausanne on September 12, 2023, titled "Arundhati Roy – Lecture – European Essay Prize."