The New Anthem

"These stories are written by 22 authors of South Asian origin. The New Anthem is an attempt to reinterpret the turbulent history of the region at both an individual and a national level. I selected the works of contemporary authors, most of whom are under the age of 40, who have changed the landscape of South Asian writing. There were many to choose from. We are coming out of the closet, so to speak, by writing about the conflict between our religious and cultural identity, and the social taboos that are being broken – or those taboos that remain standing like tall buildings. The region has an abundance of brave writers, some of whom, such as VS Naipul or Salman Rushdie, have become a part of the centre. By the “centre” I don’t necessarily mean that they’ve become part of the establishment, but that they have been recognised for what was essentially the voice of the unknown. I selected established writers such as Qaisra Shahraz from Pakistan, whose earlier novel A Pair of Jeans focused on female modesty and cultural clashes, as well as the Indian-Bengali writer Sumana Roy, author of Love in the Chicken’s Neck , which was longlisted for the Man Asian Prize in 2008. I’ve also selected emerging talents whom I regard as having the potential to have a profound effect on the literary scene in their country, such as the Bangladeshi writer Abeer Hoque."