Bapsi Sidhwa ( ur, بیپسی سدھوا; born 11 August 1938) is a Pakistani novelist of

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...

Parsi Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic ...

descent who writes in English and is a resident in the United States. She is best known for her collaborative work with

Indo-Canadian Indian Canadians are Canadians who have ancestry from India. The terms ''Indo-Canadian'' or ''East Indian'' are sometimes used to avoid confusion with the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. Categorically, Indian Canadians comprise a subgroup of ...

filmmaker Deepa Mehta: Sidhwa wrote both the 1991 novel '' Ice Candy Man'' which served as the basis for Mehta's 1998 film ''

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

'' as well as the 2006 novel '' Water: A Novel'' on which Mehta's 2005 film ''

Water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

is based.'' A documentary about Sidhwa's life called "Bapsi: Silences of My Life" is currently in production and is expected to release in 2021.

Background

Sidhwa was born to

parents Peshotan and Tehmina Bhandara in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

, Bombay Presidency, and later moved with her family to

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

, Punjab Province. She was two years old when she contracted

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

(which has affected her throughout her life) and nine in 1947 at the time of

Partition Partition may refer to: Computing Hardware * Disk partitioning, the division of a hard disk drive * Memory partition, a subdivision of a computer's memory, usually for use by a single job Software * Partition (database), the division of a ...

(facts which would shape the character Lenny in her novel '' Cracking India'' as well as the background for her novel). She received her BA from

Kinnaird College for Women University The Kinnaird College for Women (KCW) is a university located in Lahore, Pakistan. It is a women's liberal arts university. Kinnaird was established in 1913 by the Zenana Bible and Medical Mission. In 1919, Presbyterian Mission Church and the ...

, Pakistan, in 1957. She married at the age of 19 and moved to

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

for five years before she divorced and remarried in

with her present husband Noshir who is also a

. She had three children before beginning her career as an author. One of her children is Mohur Sidhwa, who is a candidate for state representative in Arizona. She is the Vice-Chair of the Democratic Party of Arizona State. She currently resides in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

in the US. She describes herself as a "Punjabi-Parsi". Her first language is

, her second language is

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. She can read and write best in English, but she is more comfortable talking in Gujarati or Urdu, and often translates literally from Gujarati or Urdu to English.

Teaching

She has previously taught at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the university in Texas with over 47,000 students. Its campus, which is primarily in s ...

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universities ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, Mount Holyoke College, and

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , ...

Awards

*Bunting Fellowship at Radcliffe/Harvard (1986) *Visiting Scholar at the Rockefeller Foundation Center, Bellagio, Italy, (1991) *

Sitara-i-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...

(Star of Excellence) Award, (1991, Pakistan's highest national honor in the arts) *Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writer's Award (1994) *

Mondello Prize The Mondello Prize (Italian: Premio Mondello or Premio letterario internazionale Mondello Città di Palermo) is an Italian literary award established in 1975. History The award was founded by a group of Palermo intellectuals and academics, and was ...

(Premio Mondello for Foreign Authors) for ''Water'' (2007) * Inducted in the Zoroastrian Hall of Fame (2000)

Works

The city of

, Pakistan, where she was brought up, is central to her four novels below: *''Their Language of Love'' : published by Readings Lahore (2013, Pakistan.) *''Jungle Wala Sahib'' (Translation) (Urdu) : Published by Readings Lahore (2012, Pakistan) *''City of Sin and Splendour : Writings on Lahore'' (2006, US) * '' Water: A Novel'' (2006, US and Canada) *''Bapsi Sidhwa Omnibus'' (2001, Pakistan) *''An American Brat'' (1993, U.S.; 1995, India) *'' Cracking India'' (1991, U.S.; 1992, India; originally published as ''Ice Candy Man'', 1988, England) *''The Bride'' (1982, England; 1983;1984, India; published as ''The Pakistani Bride'', 1990 US and 2008 US) *'' The Crow Eaters'' (1978, Pakistan; 1979 &1981, India; 1980, England; 1982, US)

References

External links

Literary Encyclopedia
*
Sense of the City: Lahore (BBC Online article by Bapsi Sidhwa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sidhwa, Bapsi 1938 births Parsi writers Living people Kinnaird College for Women University alumni University of Houston faculty Rice University faculty Columbia University faculty Mount Holyoke College faculty American people of Gujarati descent American people of Parsi descent Parsi people Pakistani Zoroastrians Pakistani dramatists and playwrights Pakistani novelists Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz English-language writers from Pakistan Writers from Lahore Pakistani women writers Pakistani emigrants to the United States Pakistani expatriates in India Pakistani people of Gujarati descent Pakistani women's rights activists