Ira Mathur

Ira Mathur is an Indian-born Trinidad and Tobago multimedia freelance journalist, Sunday Guardian columnist and writer. The longest-running columnist for the Sunday Guardian, she has been writing an op-ed for the paper since 1995, except for a hiatus from 2003 to 2004 when she wrote for the Daily Express. She has written more than eight hundred columns on politics, economics, social, health and developmental issues, locally, regionally and internationally.

Ira Mathur
Ira Mathur receiving award from former prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Basdeo Panday
Born
India
NationalityTrinidad and Tobago
Alma materTrent University; University of London; City University, London
Occupation(s)Multimedia freelance journalist and writer
Websitewww.irasroom.org

Biography

Mathur is "the offspring of a Muslim mother and a Hindu army officer",[1] was educated in India and the UK, and holds a liberal arts degree in Literature and Philosophy from Trent University in Canada, as well as an LLB from the University of London and a Diploma in International Journalism from City University, London.[2]

In 2021, Mathur was longlisted for the Bath Novel Award 2021 for her unpublished first novel Touching Dr Simone (one of 31 novels chosen from a global submission of 2,058 manuscripts).[3] Mathur's memoir Love The Dark Days was published by Peepal Tree Press in July 2022,[4] garnering praise from such notable authors as Monique Roffey (who called it a "blaze of a book. Exquisite. Astonishing… Nothing like this has torn itself out of the Caribbean") and Earl Lovelace ("a compelling memoir of the binding power of love and the liberating beauty of forgiveness").[5][6] Reviewing it for The Observer, Bidisha wrote: "Love the Dark Days is compelling in its narrative richness. Mathur’s characters and the reader alike are put through the wringer as imperial occupation and political upheaval overlay the miseries of forced marriage and unwanted abandonments. ... a troubled and troubling book, a heady brew that stays with you."[7]

In October 2021, Mathur was appointed uncontested president of the Media Association of T&T (MATT) at its Annual General Meeting.[8]

Awards
  • 1996: Media Excellence Awards Royal Bank/ Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago - Best Commentary (Print)
  • 2018: Second prize winner of the Caribbean-based Small Axe Literary Competition for short fiction.[9]

Bibliography
  • Touching Dr Simone, novel (2021)
  • Love The Dark Days, memoir (2022)

References
  1. Mathur, Ira (7 July 2022). "Writing back: the irresistible rise of Trinidadian authors". The Irish Times.
  2. Ira Mathur Biography.
  3. "Announcing the Bath Novel Award 2021 Longlist". The Bath Novel Awards. 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  4. "Love the Dark Days". Peepal Tree Press. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  5. Pires, BC (11 December 2022). "Days of dark love". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.
  6. "Ira makes her debut with Love The Dark Days". Trinidad & Tobago Guardian. 10 July 2022.
  7. Bidisha (10 July 2022). "Love the Dark Days by Ira Mathur review – heady memoir about family dysfunction in India". The Observer.
  8. Kong Soo, Charles. "New MATT executive appointed". Trinidad & Tobago Guardian. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  9. "Congratulations to the 2018 Small Axe Literary Competition winners | sx live". smallaxe.net. 10 January 2019. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2022.



This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.