Deepa Anappara

Deepa Anappara is an Indian writer and journalist. Her novel, Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, was shortlisted for the JCB Prize for Literature in 2020.

Life
Anappara spent her early life in Palakkad, Kerala. Anappara enrolled in a part-time degree in creative writing at the University of East Anglia in 2015, and is currently working towards a doctorate in historical fiction there as well.

Career as a journalist
Anappara worked as a journalist in India, reporting on social issues in the state of Gujarat, as well as Delhi and Mumbai. Her work has focused on studying the effects of violence and poverty, particularly on young people. Her work has won several awards for journalism, including the Developing Asia Journalism Awards, the "Every Human has Rights" Media Awards, as well as the Sanskriti-Prabha Dutt Fellowship in Journalism.

Publications
Anappara's novel, Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, was first written as part of her dissertation for her Master of Arts degree. The manuscript was sold at the Frankfurt Book Fair, and was the subject of a "hard-fought auction" between multiple publishers, ultimately being sold to Chatto & Windus and Random House.

The novel depicts a young child who attempts to investigate a mystery involving the disappearance of children from an impoverished slum.

Awards

 * 2006: Developing Asia Journalism Award
 * 2013: Second place in the Bristol Short Story Prize, for her story, 'The Breakdown'
 * 2013: Asham Awards for Short Stories
 * 2015: Dastaan Award for Short Stories, for her story, 'After a Hijacking'
 * 2017: Bridport Peggy Chapman Andrews First Novel Award for Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line
 * 2018: Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize for Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line
 * 2018: Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award for Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line
 * 2020: JCB Prize for Literature shortlist: Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line