Roy, Arundhati (b. 1961)

Arundhati Roy was born in Shillong, India on November 24, 1961 to a Bengali Hindu father and a Malay Syrian Christian mother. Roy lived in Kerala, India until she went to Delhi at the age of 16. She studied architecture at the School of Planning and Architecture in Delhi, and has a long‐running career as a screenwriter. She is the author ofThe God of Small Things, for which she was awarded the Booker Prize in 1997. The novel is semi‐autobiographical and incorporates themes of religious and caste relations, political currents in the Kerala region, and sexuality. Roy stood trial before the Indian Supreme Court under obscenity charges forThe God of Small Things. Aside from her novel, Roy has authored several critical essays, is involved in many activist‐oriented causes, and is an advocate for anti‐globalization. Some of her other notable works includeThe Cost of Living,The Algebra of Infinite Justice, andWar Talk.