Ruskin Bond autobiography wins literary award

Bengaluru : Beloved children's author Ruskin Bond's autobiography, "Lone Fox Dancing: My Autobiography" has been awarded this year's Atta Galatta-Bangalore Literature Festival Book Prize in the non-fiction category.

The book, launched earlier this year, talks about the octagenarian writer's eventful life, often taking readers back in time to the genesis of some of his memorable works.It also contains over 50 photographs, some never published before, capturing iconic moments from Bond's life.

"Brutally candid, Bond's autobiography is the complex story of the not-always happy life of the master chronicler of simple, innocent lives, of misty mountains, of birds and beasts, of ghosts and lost loves, of rain and snow in a language that has stayed with us for more than six decades," Akshaya Mukul, head of the jury, said.The award was announced on October 20.

"We are proud to announce that Speaking Tiger author Ruskin Bond has won the Atta Galatta-Bangalore Literature Festival Book Prize 2017 for his book 'Lone Fox Dancing: My Autobiography' in the non-fiction category," publishers said in a statement.The prize was established two years back by the Bangalore Literature Festival, in collaboration with Atta Galatta, a city-based bookstore and art-literature space.

The award carries a total purse of Rs 2 lakhs under four categories -- Best Fiction (English), Best Non-Fiction (English), Literary Achievement Award in Kannada and Popular Choice (English).The winners also receive an original trophy -- 'Thought Beyond Words'.