CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -Critically-acclaimed debut novelist Ruchika Tomar is the winner of the 2020 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel, for A Prayer for Travelers (Riverhead). Award citation: “A Prayer for Travelers by Ruchika Tomar is a remarkable piece of writing, astute in style and structure and also in the story that it tells.

Detailed explanation-2: -The PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel honors a debut novel of exceptional merit by an American author who has not previously published a full-length book of fiction. The Award aims to preserve the novel as an art form and to support the longevity of the writer’s literary career.

Detailed explanation-3: -The late Mary Hemingway, a member of PEN, founded the award in 1976 both to honor the memory of her husband, Ernest Hemingway, and to recognize distinguished first books of fiction. The award is funded by the Hemingway Family, the Hemingway Foundation & Society, and PEN America.

Detailed explanation-4: -The First Novel Prize, first awarded in 2006, was created to honor the best debut fiction of the year. The winner receives a $15, 000 prize with each shortlisted author receiving $1, 000.