Jenny Bhatt

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Jenny Bhatt
Jenny Bhatt June 2020.jpg
BornSeptember 18, 1972 (1972-09-18) (age 48)
Rajkot, Gujarat, India
OccupationWriter, literary translator, literary critic, podcaster, writing instructor
NationalityUnited States
Notable worksEach of Us Killers; Ratno Dholi: The Best Stories of Dhumketu
SpousePraveen Ahuja
Website
jennybhattwriter.com

Jenny Bhatt is an Indian American writer, literary translator, and literary critic. She is the author of an award-winning story collection, Each of Us Killers, and an award-shortlisted literary translation, Ratno Dholi: The Best Stories of Dhumketu. She is the host of the Desi Books podcast and a creative writing instructor at Writing Workshops Dallas.

Personal life[]

Bhatt was born in Rajkot, Gujarat, India, and grew up in Mumbai. She did most of her high school at Kimmins High School in Panchgani, Maharashtra. She attended the University of Hertfordshire in England as an engineering undergraduate. Thereafter, she worked in Germany, England,[1] Scotland, and the United States[2] at various multi-national corporations until 2012.[3]

From 2012 to 2014, she worked as a personal financial advisor to people running small businesses.[4]

In 2020, she founded Desi Books LLC, a global media forum that showcases South Asian literature and connects readers and writers through conversation and community.

She's based in the Dallas, Texas area.[5]

Writing[]

From 2016 onward, Bhatt's short fiction has been published in various literary journals.[6] Her non-fiction and literary criticism have been published in various outlets, such as NPR,[7] The Washington Post,[8] Literary Hub,[9] and The Atlantic.[10] Bhatt has also published a short story translation of Jhaverchand Meghani, a pioneering Gujarati poet, writer, social reformer, and freedom fighter at Waxwing Magazine.[11]

Each of Us Killers (short story collection)[]

A winner in the Foreword INDIES 2020 Book of the Year Short Stories award category and a finalist in the Multicultural Adult Fiction category[12], Bhatt's debut short story collection was cited as one of the most anticipated debuts of the second half of 2020 by Electric Literature,[13] Literary Hub,[14] The Millions,[15][16] and Entropy Magazine.[17] It was published by 7.13 Books.[18] It received a starred review from Shelf Awareness,[19] with praise that “Challenging assumptions, confronting power, manipulating barriers whenever possible–even at grave personal cost–Bhatt’s cast surprises, inspires, frightens, beguiles, but never disappoints.” Publishers Weekly wrote that Bhatt's "stories are memorable on their own, and they add up to a powerful expression of the hunger for success on one's own terms."[20] Kirkus Reviews called it a "formally diverse collection with exquisitely crafted stories about longing, striving, and learning what we can control"[21] and listed it as one of the must-read collections of Fall 2020.[22] Debutiful,[23] Ms. Magazine.[24] Bustle listed it as a must-read book of September 2020[25] and as one of the best collections of 2020.[26] Largehearted Boy listed it as a favorite short story collection of 2020.[27] Book Riot listed it as one of the top ten short story collections of 2020 by Asian authors.[28] Other venues that gave positive or rave reviews: The Dallas Morning News;[29] Texas Public Radio;[30] Open the Magazine;[31] The National Book Review;[32] New York Journal of Books;[33] NRI Pulse;[34] India Currents;[35] Puerto del Sol;[36] National Book Critics' Circle;[37] Phoebe Journal;[38] Vagabond City;[39] Platform Magazine;[40] and The Hindu Business Line..[41] Tabish Khair, writing for The Hindu, described the work thus: ". . . Bhatt gets under the skin of her characters with an ease that is difficult to achieve when creating characters beyond the pale of capital and caste. [. . .] using lively, sculpted language that avoids the stilted, literary English often afflicting Indian English writing."[42]

Ratno Dholi: The Best Stories of Dhumketu (literary translation)[]

Shortlisted for the Valley of Words Book Award in the 'English Translations From Regional Languages' category,[43] this book is a translation of 26 short stories by the Gujarati writer, Dhumketu, published by HarperCollins India in October 2020.[44] The Hindustan Times praised the translation as "reasonably fast-paced and eminently accessible."[45] Womensweb.in said that "Jenny Bhatt’s translation is nuanced but simple, and does justice to these stories.”[46] Firstpost wrote that "Her translations make for a crisp and honest rendering of 20th century Gujarat . . ."[47] The Hindu wrote: "The translator of this collection, Jenny Bhatt, contextualizes [Dhumketu's] work in the introduction while providing insightful details about his craft."[48] The Indian Express described the translation as mellifluous and wrote that "well-informed choices for pivotal words open new possibilities of re-readings for a Gujarati reader."[49] The Deccan Chronicle praised the depth of each story, adding: “. . . which means that a) the translator has done an excellent job and b) every story in the book is satisfying, something that does not often happen with short story collections.”[50]

Desi Books LLC[]

Bhatt started Desi Books as a podcast in April 2020[51] to spotlight books by writers of South Asian origin.[52] South Asia refers to the SAARC countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and The Maldives.[53] Mid-Day has called it a venue for "the best of desi reads."[54] Eastern Eye has described it as one of the most "popular podcasts redefining real talk."[55] In August 2021, it was registered as an LLC.[56]

Teaching[]

Bhatt teaches creative writing at Writing Workshops Dallas.[57]

References[]

  1. ^ "But Let Us Cultivate Our Garden". The Millions. 2018-11-05. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
  2. ^ "What Does It Mean to Be a Black or Brown Person at Work?". Rewire.News. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  3. ^ Bhatt, Jenny (2018-11-28). "'Emerging' as a Writer — After 40". Longreads. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  4. ^ Stone, Heather (2013-01-30). "Jenny Bhatt Engineers New Business Opportunities". BizSugar Blog. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  5. ^ "Reading to each other, a woman in Mumbai and man in Dallas turned their talks into marriage". Dallas News. 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  6. ^ "Publications". Jenny Bhatt, Writer. 2020-01-22. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  7. ^ "Meena Kandasamy Claims Space For Herself In 'Exquisite Cadavers'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  8. ^ Bhatt, Jenny. "Review | In 'How to Pronounce Knife,' stories of Lao immigrants reveal everyday moments of racism, classism, power and privilege". Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  9. ^ "20 Debut Works of Fiction by Women Over 40". Literary Hub. 2018-11-08. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  10. ^ Smith, Rosa Inocencio. "The Literary Passages That Guide Your Life - The Atlantic". www.theatlantic.com. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  11. ^ "Rupali Ba, short story by Jhaverchand Meghani; translated by Jenny Bhatt". waxwingmag.org. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  12. ^ ""Each of Us Killers" is a 2020 Foreword INDIES Finalist". www.forewordreviews.com. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  13. ^ "The Most Anticipated Debuts of the Second Half of 2020". Electric Literature. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  14. ^ "Lit Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2020, Part 2". Literary Hub. 2020-07-14. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  15. ^ "Most Anticipated: The Great Second-Half 2020 Book Preview". The Millions. 2020-07-15. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
  16. ^ "September Preview: The Millions Most Anticipated (This Month)". The Millions. 2020-09-02. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  17. ^ "August and September 2020 Small Press Releases". entropymag.org. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  18. ^ "7.13 Books". 7.13 Books. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  19. ^ "Shelf Awareness for Readers for Tuesday, October 6, 2020". www.shelf-awareness.com. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  20. ^ "Each of Us Killers Review (Publishers Weekly)". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  21. ^ Each of Us Killers Review (Kirkus Reviews). www.kirkusreviews.com. 2020-07-14.
  22. ^ "Fall Preview: Must-Read Story Collections". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  23. ^ vitcavage (2020-09-01). "6 debut books you should read this September". debutiful. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  24. ^ "September 2020 Reads for the Rest of Us - Ms. Magazine". msmagazine.com. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  25. ^ "The Books Everyone Will Be Talking About All September Long". Bustle. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  26. ^ "The Best Short Story Collections Of 2020, From 'Daddy' To 'Verge'". Bustle. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  27. ^ "Largehearted Boy: Favorite Short Story Collections of 2020". www.largeheartedboy.com. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  28. ^ Megally, Stacey (2020-12-04). "10 Short Story Collections by Asian Authors Released in 2020". BOOK RIOT. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  29. ^ "D-FW-based author Jenny Bhatt's debut collection 'Each of Us Killers' reveals a world of humanity". Dallas News. 2020-09-08. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  30. ^ "Review: 'Each of Us Killers' By Jenny Bhatt". TPR. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  31. ^ Bhatt, Jenny (2020-10-16). "The Bloodlust". Open The Magazine. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  32. ^ "5 Hot Books: A Heart-Stopping Holocaust Mystery, Chemotherapy's Surprising Origins, and More". The National Book Review. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  33. ^ "a book review by Murali Kamma: Each of Us Killers". www.nyjournalofbooks.com. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  34. ^ Veena (2020-10-30). "'Each of Us Killers' by Jenny Bhatt: Powerful anthology deftly explores complexities of life". NRI Pulse. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  35. ^ "Each of Us Killers: Vignettes of Immigrant and Indian Lives". Best Indian American Magazine | San Jose CA | India Currents. 2020-11-17. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  36. ^ Toor, Pardeep (2020-12-03). "REVIEW | Jenny Bhatt's Each of Us Killers". Puerto del Sol. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  37. ^ "Leonard Prize 2020: Each of Us Killers". National Book Critics Circle. 2020-12-01. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  38. ^ "A Review of Jenny Bhatt's Each of Us Killers". phoebe. 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  39. ^ Journal, Vagabond City Literary (2020-12-14). "In Review: Each of Us Killers by Jenny Bhatt". VAGABOND CITY. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  40. ^ "Each Of Us Killers". www.platform-mag.com. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  41. ^ Ray, Jonaki. "Life's like that". @businessline. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  42. ^ Khair, Tabish (2021-01-23). "All the lives we never lived: Tabish Khair reviews Jenny Bhatt's 'Each of Us Killers'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  43. ^ "Ratno Dholi: The Best Stories of Dhumketu". Valley of Words. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  44. ^ "Ratno Dholi". HarperCollins Publishers India. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  45. ^ "Review: Ratno Dholi: The Best Stories of Dhumketu". Hindustan Times. 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  46. ^ "A Masterclass In Detailing Human Emotions As Ratno Dholi, Dhumketu's Work Remains Relevant Today". Women's Web: For Women Who Do. 2020-11-04. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  47. ^ "Healing the helpless, only to be banished by society: Read a short story from Dhumketu's Ratno Dholi anthology - Art-and-culture News , Firstpost". Firstpost. 2020-11-22. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  48. ^ Vatsa, Mihir (2021-02-06). "A weave of emotions: Review of 'Ratno Dholi: The Best Stories of Dhumketu'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  49. ^ "How Dhumketu transformed Gujarati literature with his short stories". The Indian Express. 2021-02-14. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  50. ^ Gulab, Kushalrani (2021-03-14). "Book Review | Worlds within worlds in Dhumketu's best classic short stories". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  51. ^ "Khabar : Desi Author and Advocate". www.khabar.com. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  52. ^ Stories, Local. "Meet Jenny Bhatt of Desi Books Podcast in North Dallas - Voyage Dallas Magazine | Dallas City Guide". voyagedallas.com. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  53. ^ "DesiBooks Podcast featured in the Funasia Radio Community Roundup (Sep 6, 2020)". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  54. ^ "Best of desi reads". mid-day. 2020-04-22. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  55. ^ "How popular podcasts are redefining real talk - EasternEye". Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  56. ^ "DESI BOOKS". DESI BOOKS. 2020-05-22. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
  57. ^ "Jenny Bhatt Writing Workshops Interview". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
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