The UK Royal Society of Literature stated in a press release on Monday that Rahul Bhattacharya has won the 2012 Ondaatje Prize worth £10,000 for his first novel ‘The Sly Company of People Who Care’ based on his year-long sojourn Guyana.
The prize is for the best first novel which best sums up the spirit of a place. The Delhi-based Bhattacharya spent a year in Guyana before writing his novel. The 26 year old journalist gave up his day job to live in a country where he can “escape the deadness of life.” While in Guyana he not only falls in love with the country, but also with a woman.
Already a winner of the Hindu Literary prize 2011 and shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Award, ‘The Sly Company of People Who Care’ has drawn Bhattacharya a host of comparisons with