Context:
The Sahitya Akademi has recently announced the Sahitya Akademi Award 2023 in 24 languages.
Relevance:
Facts for Prelims
Key Points
- A total of nine poetry books, six novels, five short story collections, three essays, and one literary study have been honored with the prestigious award.
- The award is presented in the form of a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, a shawl, and a cash prize of Rs 1,00,000 for each awardee.
Sahitya Akademi Award: Recognizing Literary Excellence
Establishment:
- The Sahitya Akademi Award was established in 1954, serving as a prestigious literary honour.
Conferred by Sahitya Akademi:
- Awarded annually by Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters.
Number of Awards:
- Sahitya Akademi confers 24 awards each year for literary works in recognized languages and an additional 24 awards for literary translations.
Recognized Languages:
- Apart from the 22 languages mentioned in the Constitution of India, English and Rajasthani are also recognized for the Sahitya Akademi awards.
Significance:
- The Sahitya Akademi Award is the second-highest literary honour by the Government of India, following the Jnanpith award.
Criteria for Awardee Selection:
- The author must be of Indian nationality.
- The eligible book or work should be an outstanding contribution to the language and literature it represents.
- In cases of equal merit, additional factors such as the total literary contribution and standing of authors are considered for declaring the award.
Other Sahitya Akademi Awards:
- Bal Sahitya Puraskar:
- Recognizes an author’s total contribution to children’s literature, focusing on books published in the five years preceding the award year.
- Yuva Puraskar:
- Pertains to books published by an author aged 35 and below, showcasing emerging talent in the literary field.
