Upamanyu Chatterjee – English author of ‘English, August’ fame

Upamanyu Chatterjee is an Indian civil servant and English writer from Patna, best known for his celebrated work – English, August: An Indian Story published in 1988. The film was later adapted to silver screen by Dev Benegal. It was his debut work and a bestseller. He also authored a few short stories like “The Assassination of Indira Gandhi” and “Watching Them”. He currently serves as Joint Secretary to Government of India on the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board.

Upamanyu Chatterjee was born in Patna in 1959. He joined IAS in 1983 from Maharashtra Cadre. He attended St. Stephen’s College, Delhi before joining administrative service. He published his first book ‘English, August’ after 5 years of experience in civil service and his book earned international acclaim. Thus he became one of the early Indian writers who earned acclaim and popularity outside the country. He published a sequel to August, ‘The Mammaries of the Welfare State’ in 2000. The Last Burden, its sequel – Way to Go, Weight Loss: A Comedy of Sexual and Spiritual Degradation and The Revenge of the Non-vegetarian are other published novels.

Upamanyu Chatterjee – Some interesting and less-known facts

1. He published his first novel at the age of 29.

2. He wrote his debut novel during his younger days as a civil servant, and then was described as one of the powerful and emerging voices among Indian writers in English language, after colonial period.

3. He received Sahitya Akademi Award in 2004.

4. His novel Way To Go was shortlisted for ‘The Hindu Best Fiction Award’ in 2010.