Pakistani author Safinah Danish Elahi’s contemporary fiction novel, The Idle Stance of the Tippler Pigeon, has been shortlisted for the prestigious Asian Fiction Prize 2023. Previously long-listed from a selection of thirteen writers, the shortlist includes writers from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria and the only novel from Pakistan is Elahi’s.
Safinah Danish Elahi is a lawyer, poet and novelist from Pakistan. She earned her MFA in Publishing and Contemporary Fiction from Emerson College, Boston, USA. Her debut novel, Eye on the Prize, published in 2020, translated into Urdu has been converted into a TV series. She is also the founder of an award winning publishing house, Reverie Publishers. She is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Iowa and was a resident in their International Writer’s Program 2022.
‘I am elated that my novel has made it to the shortlist of the Asian Fiction Prize 2023. It feels surreal to have this recognition on an international stage – I’m beyond thrilled that this platform has adopted a reader-centric approach. It gives me hope and I feel pride at being the only Pakistani on the shortlist. Interestingly – and without bias, all novels shortlisted for the award, are by women!’ commented Safinah.
The Idle Stance of the Tippler Pigeon is a beautifully rendered portrait of love, healing, and long-buried pain, digging deep into the nature of trauma and class division.
Perfect for fans of Elif Shafak and Kamila Shamsie, the story explores poignant agonies and struggles of human life, (read Ananke’s Book Review).
According to publisher Neem Tree Press website: ‘Zohaib, Misha and Nadia believed they would be in each other’s lives forever. Yet nothing could have prepared them for the tragic turn of events one fateful afternoon in Karachi, Pakistan, when the divisions and differences between them are revealed.
Years later and they are still trying to piece their lives back together, still trying to make sense of what happened. Zohaib is living in London, haunted by the ghosts of the past. Nadia has escaped the household where she first met Misha and Zohaib but finds fate delivering her back to their door…’
The Asian Prize for Fiction is introduced by the Asian Group of Literature to recognise and celebrate the global literature setting on the Asian plains and highlands. This is an Annual Prize Hosted by The Asian Review International, The Asian Review Sinhala, The Voice Asian and The Asian Review Quebec. Each year, this prestigious prize will traverse the diverse landscapes of member countries within the Asian Group, offering a platform to showcase the remarkable talents shaping the literary world. Anticipation mounts as Sri Lanka prepares to host the most awaited 2023 edition of The Asian Prize for Fiction in March 2025.
Asian Fiction Prize 2023 Short List:
The Idle Stance of the Tippler Pigeon by Safinah Danish Elahi
The Brotherless Night by V.V Ganeshanathan
Rescuing a River Breeze by Mrinalini Harchandrai
Woman Who Climbed Trees by Smriti Ravindra
Witch in the Peepul Tree by Arefa Tehsin
Spell of Good Things by Ayobami Adebayo
