Introduction

Various communities of South Asian heritage (i.e., Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) live in the United Kingdom. The migration of South Asian immigrants to the UK began with the establishment of the East India Company in 1600. It continued during the British colonial period and, after that, to contemporary times. Early immigrants who settled in the UK included servants traveling with the East India Company officials’ families, Indian students from wealthy families pursuing higher education, soldiers, well-qualified professionals, and others. Recent migrants include well-qualified professionals, students, economic immigrants, and asylum seekers.

While we use the term “South Asian British” in this chapter, other terms such as “British South Asian,” “Asian British,” or “British Asian” are also common in the UK. “Black” has often been used to broadly include Black British and South Asian British communities rather than being limited to people of African heritage.

At present, the South Asian diaspora in the UK constitutes “Indians 1.45 million (2.3 percent [of the total UK population]), Pakistanis 1.17 million (1.9 percent), Bangladeshis 451,500 (0.7 percent) and other Asians, who include Sri Lankans, as well as third-generation Asians, Asians of mixed parentage, people from Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldive Islands and some from the Middle East” (Minority Rights Group 2020). South Asian British play essential roles in British society as activists, artists, business owners, fashion designers, educators, government officials, policymakers, politicians, professionals, and so on.

This chapter highlights 21^st-century works by British writers of South Asian heritage, both immigrants and their descendants. Due to space limitations, only 20 representative authors from this vibrant literary activity field have been included. Prominent figures such as Hanif Kureishi and Salman Rushdie have been set aside in order to feature other highly regarded but less well-known writers. Bangladeshi, Indian, Kashmiri, Pakistani, and Sri Lankan British writers are listed. Note that available publications by members of less populous communities can be challenging to locate.

The chapter includes authors who identify as mixed in ethnicity (e.g., poet Zaffar Kunial) and those whose nationality is ambiguous or fluid. Novelist Kamila Shamsie, for example, retains dual British and Pakistani citizenship, while several authors, such as writer and critic Neel Mukherjee, have homes both in the UK and elsewhere (Poetry International Rotterdam, n.d.; Mishra and Shamsie 2022; Harvard University Department of English, n.d.). On the other hand, the chapter excludes authors with South Asian roots (Kiran Desai and others) who have lived in the UK but no longer do so and do not currently identify as British (Bennington College, n.d.), as well as writers who live part-time in the UK but identify only as South Asian nationals, such as Pankaj Mishra (Mishra and Shamsie 2022).

Many of the works listed below explore questions of identity and migration, considering generational changes along with the intersectionality of ethnicity with gender roles, sexual orientation, religious traditions, disabilities, and other factors. Others address themes independent of the identity of the communities in which their authors were raised; indeed, several writers, including dramatist Tanika Gupta, explicitly prefer not to be defined in ethnic terms (Shaikh 2011). Settings may be Britain of the 20^th or 21^st century ancestral countries, elsewhere, or nowhere specific.

Core Collection

Oral histories and archival sources

From the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE (Race Archives and Community Engagement) Centre: a special library, affiliated with the Manchester Central Library and the University of Manchester, focusing on the study of race, migration, and anti-racist activism:

• Albums: Audio recordings of more than 300 oral history interviews of members of Black, Asian, and other immigrant communities.
• Archive collections: Material documenting the history of global majority, migrant, and and refugee communities, particularly within Greater Manchester and Northwest England.
• Coming to Manchester: Stories of South Asian Migration to Manchester: A blog.

From the British Library (BL):

• Indians Overseas sources guide: Guide to archival and published resources in the British Library’s extensive collections relating to the South Asian diaspora.
• Oral Histories of Migration, Ethnicity and Post-Colonialism: A guide to the BL’s collected interviews addressing ethnicity and the postcolonial experience in the UK, including interviews with refugees and other migrants from the Indian subcontinent.

From the Foundation for Indian Performing Arts (FIPA): British Arangetrams: YouTube videos featuring memories and experiences of Bharatanatyam dancers who have done their arangetrams—debut dance performances following years of dance training.

From the Swadhinata Trust and The British Library Sound Archive: A History of Bengali Music and Musicians in the UK: Sound recordings of interviews, along with other information.

From Sheba Remy Kharbanda: Oral History — Vilayati Tarti/Foreign Land Project: Video interviews and documentaries chronicling the story of women, mostly Punjabi, who migrated to England in the decades following the Partition of India.

From Kim Knott: Moving People, Changing Places: A website addressing key concepts, migration histories, locations, identities, and cultures.

From the London School of Economics, Runnymede Trust, and University of Cambridge Project: Bangla stories: Interviews from immigrants from West Bengal and Bangladesh along with information on the Bengali diaspora.

From Race on the Agenda (ROTA): Through the Generations: Oral histories of Sri Lankan Tamils in London.

From South Asian Writers: Our Stories Matter: A crowdsourced archival project collecting photographs, videos, personal essays, and poems by South Asian Britons, exploring their shared histories and identities within British society.

From the St. Albans Museums: Oral History: Oral histories of the South Asian community in St. Albans.

South Asian British literary works

The following selected titles were available in print as of February 2022. Most are also available as eBooks.

Acharya, Shanta. 2010. Dreams That Spell the Light. Todmorden, England: Arc Publications. Poetry.

———. 2017. Imagine: New and Selected Poems. Gurugram, Haryana: HarperCollins Publishers India.

———. 2020. What Survives Is the Singing. Halwill, Devon: Indigo Dreams Publishing. Poetry.

Ali, Monica. 2003. Brick Lane: A Novel. London: Doubleday; New York: Scribner. Shortlisted for the 2003 Booker Prize.

———. 2006. Alentejo Blue: Fiction. London: Doubleday; New York: Scribner.

———. 2009. In the Kitchen: A Novel. London: Doubleday; New York: Scribner.

———. 2022. Love Marriage: A Novel. London: Virago Press; New York: Scribner.

Alvi, Moniza. 2008. Europa. Tarset, Northumberland: Bloodaxe Books. Poetry. Shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize.

———. 2013. At the Time of Partition. Tarset, Northumberland: Bloodaxe Books. Shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize; Poetry Book Society Choice.

———. 2018. Blackbird, Bye Bye. Hexham, Northumberland: Bloodaxe Books. Poetry.

———. 2022. Fairoz. Hexham, Northumberland: Bloodaxe Books. Poetry.

Balasubramanyam, Rajeev. 2000. In Beautiful Disguises. London: Bloomsbury, 2000; New York: Bloomsbury, 2001. Novel. 1999, pre-publication Betty Trask Prize; shortlisted for the BBC Asia Prize.

———. 2010. The Dreamer. Noida: HarperCollins Publishers India. Novel.

———. 2019. Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss: A Novel. London; New York: Penguin Random House.

Bhatti, Gurpreet Kaur. 2004. Behzti: (Dishonour). Oberon Modern Plays. London: Oberon.  Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

———. 2014. Plays One. Introduction by Jatinder Verma. Oberon Modern Playwrights. London: Oberon. Contents: Behsharam; Behzti; Behud; Fourteen; Khandan.

———. 2018. Elephant: A Play Based on True Events. Oberon Modern Plays. London: Oberon.

———. 2019. A Kind of People. Oberon Modern Plays. London: Oberon.

Dharker, Imtiaz. 2001. I Speak for the Devil. Tarset, Northumberland: Bloodaxe Books. Poetry.

———. 2009. Leaving Fingerprints. Tarset, Northumberland: Bloodaxe Books. Poetry.

———. 2014. Over the Moon. Hexham, Northumberland: Bloodaxe Books. 2014 Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry.

———. 2018. Luck Is the Hook.Hexham, Northumberland: Bloodaxe Books. Poetry.

France, Tan [Tanveer Wasim Safdar]. 2019. Naturally Tan. With Caroline Donofrio. London: Virgin Books; New York: St. Martin’s Press. Memoir.

Gunesekera, Romesh. 2002. Heaven’s Edge. London: Bloomsbury; New York: Grove Press. Novel. A 2003 New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

———. 2014. Noon Tide Toll. London: Granta. Also published as Noontide Toll: Stories. New York: New Press, 2015.

———. 2019. Suncatcher. London: Bloomsbury, 2019; New York: New Press, 2020. Novel. Shortlisted for the 2020 Jhalak Prize.

Gupta, Tanika. 2000. The Waiting Room. London: Faber and Faber. StageScripts. 2000 John Whiting Award.

———. 2003. Fragile Land. Oberon Modern Plays. London: Oberon Books. Nominated for 2003 Olivier and EMMA awards.

———. 2014. Love ‘n Stuff. Oberon Modern Plays. London: Oberon Books.

———. 2017. Lions and Tigers. Oberon Modern Plays; Shakespeare’s Globe. London: Oberon Books. 2018 James Tait Black Prize for Drama.

Hussein, Aamer. 2002. Turquoise. London: Saqi Books. Short stories.

———. 2009. Another Gulmohar Tree. London: Telegram; New Delhi: Penguin Books, India. Novella.

———. 2011. The Cloud Messenger. London: Telegram. Novel.

———. 2015. 37 Bridges, and Other Stories. Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India: HarperCollins Publishers India.

———. 2018. Hermitage, and Other Stories. Karachi, Pakistan: Usbha Publishing International.

Joseph, Anjali. 2010. Saraswati Park. London: Fourth Estate. Novel. 2011 Betty Trask Prize and  Desmond Elliott Prize.

———. 2012. Another Country. London: Fourth Estate. Novel.

———. 2016. The Living. London: Fourth Estate. Novel. Shortlisted for DSC Prize.

———. 2021. Keeping in Touch. Chennai: Westland Publications; paperback forthcoming.

Kunial, Zaffar. 2018. Us. London: Faber & Faber. Shortlisted for T.S. Eliot Award and Costa Book Award for Poetry.

———. 2019. Six. London: Faber & Faber. Poetry.

Kunzru, Hari. 2002. The Impressionist. London: Hamish Hamilton; New York: Dutton. 2002 Betty Trask Prize, 2003 Somerset Maugham award; shortlisted for 2002 Whitbread First Novel Award.

———. 2004. Transmission. London: Hamish Hamilton; New York: Dutton. Novel. A 2004 New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

———. 2017. White Tears. London: Hamish Hamilton; New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Novel.

———. 2020. Red Pill. London: Scribner; New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Novel. A 2020 New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

Mukherjee, Neel. 2010. A Life Apart. London: Constable, 2010; paperback repr., New York: W.W. Norton, 2016. Previously published as Past Continuous. London: Picador, 2008. Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Fiction.

———. 2014. The Lives of Others. London: Chatto & Windus; New York : W.W. Norton. Encore Award for Best Second Novel; shortlisted for 2014 Booker Prize.

———. 2017. A State of Freedom. London: Chatto & Windus, 2017; New York: W.W. Norton, 2018. Novel. A New York Times Notable Book of 2018.

Mundair, Raman. 2003. Lovers, Liars, Conjurers and Thieves. Leeds, UK: Peepal Tree. Poetry.

———. 2007a. The Algebra of Freedom. London: Aurora Metro. Drama.

———. 2007b. A Choreographer’s Cartography. Leeds, UK: Peepal Tree. Poetry.

Sahota, Sunjeev. 2011. Ours Are the Streets. London: Picador. Novel.

———. 2015. The Year of the Runaways. London: Picador; New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Novel. Shortlisted for 2015 Booker Prize.

———. 2021. China Room. London: Harvill Secker; New York: Viking. Novel.

Sethi, Anita. 2021. I Belong Here: A Journey along the Backbone of Britain. London: Bloomsbury Wildlife. Travel memoir.

Shamsie, Kamila. 2005. Broken Verses. London: Bloomsbury; Orlando: Harcourt. Novel. 2005 Patras Bokhari Award.

———. 2009. Burnt Shadows. London: Bloomsbury; New York: Picador. 2010 Anisfield-Wolf  Book Award for Fiction; shortlisted for 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction.

———. 2014. A God in Every Stone. London: Bloomsbury; New York: Atavist Books. Shortlisted for the 2015 Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction.

———. 2017. Home Fire. London: Bloomsbury Circus; New York: Riverhead Books. 2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction; shortlisted for Costa Novel Award; finalist for 2019 International Dublin Literary Award.

———. 2022. Best of Friends. London: Bloomsbury Circus; New York: Riverhead Books. Novel.

Sharma, Babita. 2019. The Corner Shop: Shopkeepers, the Sharmas and the Making of Modern Britain. London: Two Roads. Memoir.

Zaidi, Mohsin. 2020. A Dutiful Boy: A Memoir of a Gay Muslim’s Journey to Acceptance. London: Square Peg. Also published: London: Vintage, 2021, with subtitle: A Memoir of Secrets, Lies and Family Love.

Community Resources

Asian Booklist: An information resource on new and forthcoming books by South Asian British authors, including both literary and non-literary works.

The Asian Writer: A quarterly magazine and online newsletter that showcases South Asian literature; founded by Farhana Shaikh in 2007.

The Bhutan Society of the UK: A cultural and educational organization, established in 1992, for people with connections to or an interest in the Kingdom of Bhutan.

British Bangladeshi Association: A Facebook group for British Bangladeshis living in the UK.

The British Sri Lankan Association (BRISLA): An association that works to coordinate activities among British Sri Lankan and other British associations and groups.

Greater London Tamil Sangam: A community organization for the members of Tamil origin living in the Greater London area.

Indian Community Association: Based in East Reading; offers “a wide range of services and opportunities for local people of all ages and  backgrounds.”

Making Britain: Discover how South Asians shaped the nation, 1870–1950: A database with biographical and other information about South Asians in the UK; from the Open University.

Nepali British Community, UK: An organization established in 2010 to promote sociocultural activities and support the social integration of Nepali British with other UK communities.

Organizations: From Making Britain: Discover how South Asians shaped the nation, 1870–1950 from the Open University, a list of organizations in which South Asians were involved.

The Pakistan Society: An organization working to bring Pakistan and Britain together; established in 1951.

South Asian Writers: A website amplifying the work of writers and creators from the South Asian diaspora; started in 2017.

Recommended Reading

South Asian British communities: social and historical context

Chatterji, Joya, and David Washbrook, eds. 2013. Routledge Handbook of the South Asian Diaspora. London; New York: Routledge. Extensive coverage of the UK.

Fisher, Michael Herbert, Shompa Lahiri, and Shinder S. Thandi. 2007. A South-Asian History of Britain: Four Centuries of Peoples from the Indian Sub-Continent. Oxford, UK; Westport, CT: Greenwood World Publishing.

Nasta, Susheila, ed. 2013. India in Britain: South Asian Networks and Connections, 1858–1950. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Patel, Ian Sanjay. 2021. We’re Here Because You Were There: Immigration and the End of Empire. London: Verso.

Shukla, Nikesh, ed. 2016. The Good Immigrant. London: Unbound. Jacket: “21 writers explore what it means to be black, Asian & minority ethnic in Britain today.”

South Asian British literature: Historical and critical works

Hussain, Yasmin. 2005. Writing Diaspora: South Asian Women, Culture, and Ethnicity. Aldershot, UK; Burlington, VT: Ashgate. The focus is on British authors.

Nasta, Susheila. 2002. Home Truths: Fictions of the South Asian Diaspora in Britain. Houndmills, Hampshire; New York: Palgrave.

Nasta, Susheila, and Mark U. Stein, eds. 2020. The Cambridge History of Black and Asian British Writing. Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press.

Ranasinha, Ruvani. 2002. South Asian Writers in Twentieth-Century Britain: Culture in Translation. Oxford, UK; New York: Oxford University Press.

References

Bennington College. n.d. “Kiran Desai ’93.” Bennington College (website). Accessed March 12, 2022. https://www.bennington.edu/bennington-network/outsized-impact/kiran-desai.

Harvard University Department of English. n.d. “Neel Mukherjee.” Department of English (website). Accessed March 12, 2022. https://english.fas.harvard.edu/people/neel-mukherjee.

Minority Rights Group. 2020. “World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples: South Asians.” Updated October 2020; accessed February 22, 2022. https://minorityrights.org/minorities/south-asians/.

Mishra, Pankaj, and Kamila Shamsie. 2022. “’It Felt Horrific to Be in Britain as a Muslim after 9/11′: Pankaj Mishra and Kamila Shamsie in Conversation.” Guardian (UK edition), February 19, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/feb/19/it-felt-horrific-to-be-in-britain-as-a-muslim-after-911-pankaj-mishra-and-kamila-shamsie-in-conversation.

Poetry International Rotterdam. n.d. “Zaffar Kunial.” Poetry International Archives. Accessed March 12, 2022. https://www.poetryinternational.org/pi/poet/28094/Zaffar-Kunial/.

Shaikh, Farhana. 2011. “Tanika Gupta.” The Asian Writer. Posted June 22, 2011. https://theasianwriter.co.uk/2011/06/22/tanika-gupta/.