Archives: Authors

GITA KRISHNANKUTTY has translated novels and short stories by several Malayalam writers into English, including M.T. Vasudevan Nair, Lalithambika Antharjanam, Paul Zacharia and Anand. She lives in Chennai.

Born in 1933, in Kudallur, Kerala, M.T. VASUDEVAN NAIR—or MT, as he is affectionately known to friends and readers—is one of the most loved and widely read writers in Malayalam. He started out as a teacher and then moved on to journalism in 1957, finally retiring as editor of Mathrubhumi Weekly in 1997.

MT’s literary oeuvre is varied: novels, short stories, screenplays, travelogues, literary criticism and books for children, but the short story is, by his own admission, MT’s favourite literary form. He has over twenty collections of short stories, written between the 1950s and 1990s. Much of his fiction chronicles the disintegration of the matriarchal joint family system of the Nairs of Kerala and the conflicts associated with this process, which is the world he grew up in.

Unusually for a literary giant, MT is closely associated with cinema. Apart from being a prolific screenplay writer, he has written over fifty screenplays. MT has directed or been otherwise associated with films based on his screenplays or stories. Nirmalyam, his first film which he wrote, produced and directed, based on his short story ‘Sacred Sword and Anklets’, won the President’s Gold Medal in 1973. Oru Cheru Punchiri (2000), Parinayam (1994), Sadayam (1992), Kadavu (1991) and Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989), all won national awards. Twenty-two of his screenplays have won state awards.

MT was awarded the Padma Bhushan (2005) and Jnanpith (1995). He has also received the Kerela Jyoti (2023), the state’s highest civilian honour; the Central Sahitya Akademi Award (1971, 1982 and 1986) and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award (1958).

Aruna Narlikar is an author, poet and artist. Her publications include the co-authored Bargaining with a Rising India: Lessons from the Mahabharata (2014), and recent articles for the Speaking Tree column of Times of India and Economic Times. In addition to a doctorate in literature, she has earned a senior diploma in yogic science. She has wide-ranging experience in television and print media. She writes in three languages (Hindi, Marathi and English), and has had her work published in some of the leading Indian newspapers and magazines.

Amitabh Mattoo (D.Phil, Oxon) is professor of international relations at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University and honorary professor at the Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne. His scholarship and contribution have won him numerous honours of high distinction, including the Padma Shri. He is regarded as one of the top strategic thinkers from India. His policy advice has been sought by the governments of India and Australia. He has been a member of India’s National Security Council’s Advisory Board and the National Knowledge Commission. He had earlier served as the vice chancellor of the University of Jammu, chair of Miranda House and the founding director and CEO of the Australia India Institute.

Amrita Narlikar (D.Phil, Oxon) has served as president of the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) for close to a decade. She is professor of international relations at Hamburg University and an honorary fellow of Darwin College at the University of Cambridge. She serves as senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation and at Research and Information System for Developing Countries. Before being appointed to the GIGA presidency, she was ‘reader’ (‘professor’ under the university’s internationally aligned system) in international political economy at the University of Cambridge.

Her recent publications include the co-edited centenary special issue of International Affairs, ‘The How Not to Guide for International Relations’ and (single-authored) Poverty Narratives and Power Paradoxes in International Trade Negotiations and Beyond.

Devika Cariapa trained as an archaeologist but found her calling uncovering stories from stones and making the world of archaeology accessible for children.
An award-winning author, her first book India through Archaeology: Excavating History was awarded the Sahitya Akademi’s Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2019 and the Hindu Young World-Goodbooks Award 2018. Her subsequent works have been awarded the Neev Book Award for Distinguished Children’s Literature 2021 and have been shortlisted for the Times of India AutHer Awards 2022 and the Neev Book Award 2022.
When she’s not writing, Devika enjoys exploring the lost art of calligraphy. She is a professional loiterer, often found wandering around monuments or between the shelves of second-hand bookstores in Bangalore.

Gaurav Sood is a brand evangelist, researcher, educator, speaker, columnist and author with more than two decades of practice in creating strong brands. He has been an integral part of developing, and managing marketing and integrated marketing communication campaigns for global brands in India, Germany and the US. He has also carved out a niche for himself as a brand strategist and pioneer in the domain of brand research.

We make growing up the best story ever! Here at Ladybird, we publish books to inspire curious minds. From first words to fluency, we’re here for young readers at every step. As the home of Read it yourself, Ladybird Readers and First Words with Peppa, we guide learners from one story to the next – sparking plenty of smiles along the way.

Emily McIntire is an Amazon top 20 author of painful, messy, beautiful romance. She doesn’t like to box herself into one subgenre, but at the core of all her stories is soul deep love. A long time songwriter and an avid reader, Emily has always had a passion for the written word, and when she’s not writing you can find her waiting on her long lost Hogwarts letter, chasing her crazy toddler, or lost between the pages of a good book.

K.L. Walther was born and raised in the rolling hills of Bucks County, Pennsylvania surrounded by family, dogs, and books. Her childhood was spent traveling the northeastern seaboard to play ice hockey. She attended a boarding school in New Jersey and went on to earn a B.A. in English from the University of Virginia. She is happiest on the beach with a book, cheering for the New York Rangers, or enjoying a rom-com while digging into a big bowl of popcorn and MandMs. She is the author of If We Were Us, The Summer of Broken Rules, What Happens After Midnight. Visit her online at klwalther.com