The prize, worth Rs. 50 lakhs, is awarded annually for a novel or short story collection written in any language, translated into English and published in UK or Ireland. The prize money is split equally between the author and translator of the winning book.

Talking about nomination to the prize, Murugan said, “This is for first time a Tamil novel has made it to the long list. It is very important for the language. It is significant not because it is my novel but because the selection is an acknowledgement of the literature in Tamil, in India.”

Speaking about the importance of the selection of a Tamil novel, the author adds, “English and Hindi are spoken as Indian languages whereas the others are classified as regional languages. That is wrong. That sort of perception will change when books from our languages—southern languages as well as non-Hindi languages from North—make it to international awards list.

The nomination follows close on the heels of Indian author Geetanjali Sree’s win at the 2022 international Booker Prize for her 2018 Hindi-language novel of Tomb of Samadhi, which was translated into English by US translator Daisy Rockwell. Shree was the first Indian to win that prize.

Talking about Murugan’s book, the selection panel said, “An inter-caste couple elopes, setting in motion a story of terrifying foreboding. Perumal Murugan is a great anatomized of power and, in particular of deep, deforming rot of caste hatred and violence. With flashes of fable, his novel tells a story specific and universal; how flammable are fear and distrust of others.” (IPA Service)