Sujata Bhatt

Sujata Bhatt Biography

Sujata Bhatt is a noted poetess of Gujarat origin, associated with Gujarati and English literature. Stayed in US for many years, Sujata is currently settled in Germany. She is married to German writer Michael Augustin. Ahmedabad is her birth place. Brunizem (1988) is her first collection of poems, which won Commonwealth poetry prize (Asia) in 1988. The book also won Alice Hunt Bartlett Prize. Cholmondeley Award and Tratti Poetry Prize are other awards. She is also a recipient of Poetry Book Society award twice in 1991 and 2000. Brunizem, Monkey Shadows, The Stinking Rose, Point No Point, Augatora, The Colour of Solitude, Pure Lizard and The Life of Jim are her major works.

She was born in Ahmedabad in 1956 and brought up in Pune. Her family migrated to US in 1968, when Sujata was 12 years old. She completed her studies at University of Iowa and got married to German writer Michael Augustin. During her early days she worked as writer-in-residence at the University of Victoria, Canada. She published her first work, Brunizem in 1988 which was widely appreciated by critics. The collection of poems written in English language also earned Commonwealth poetry prize and Alice Hunt Bartlett Prize.  Since then she is fully active in her literary career, publishing works at regular intervals. The Life of Jim (2015) is her most recent work.

Apart from several poetry collections, she has also translated a few Gujarati poetry works to English. She has also published her poems in several international publications. Though she spent most of her life away from India, she believes herself to be an Indian who is outside her mother country. Sujata Bhatt has been recognized as a distinctive voice in contemporary poetry.

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Updated: July 09, 2016