Entertainment, March 29: Indian author Arundhati Roy has been awarded the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Award in the autobiography category for her memoir Mother Mary Comes To Me, marking a significant addition to her body of internationally recognised work.
The awards, announced on March 28, honour outstanding books published in English across six categories, including fiction, nonfiction, biography, autobiography, poetry and criticism. Roy’s memoir emerged from a strong shortlist that featured notable authors such as Geraldine Brooks for Memorial Days, Beth Macy for Paper Girl, Hanif Kureishi for Shattered, and Miriam Toews for A Truce That Is Not Peace.
The announcement was shared by Roy and her publisher, Scribner Books, confirming her win in a competitive field of established literary voices.
Mother Mary Comes To Me delves into Roy’s complex relationship with her mother, Mary Roy, exploring themes of family, identity and personal conflict. The memoir offers an intimate account of the experiences that have shaped her life and writing, and marks her first foray into memoir writing after years of focusing primarily on political essays.
Roy first gained global acclaim with her novel The God of Small Things, which earned her the Booker Prize in 1997, making her the first Indian woman to receive the honour.
This latest recognition underscores Roy’s continued relevance in global literature, reflecting sustained international interest in her work across genres.
