Arundhati Roy Shortlisted for 2026 Women's Prize for Non-Fiction
Arundhati Roy has been shortlisted for the 2026 Women's Prize for Non-Fiction for her memoir Mother Mary Comes to Me.
Indian author Arundhati Roy has been shortlisted for the 2026 Women's Prize for Non-Fiction, placing her among six writers recognised for outstanding contributions to contemporary nonfiction.
Roy’s nominated work, Mother Mary Comes to Me, marks a deeply personal turn in her literary career. The memoir reflects on her childhood, her complex relationship with her mother, and the formative experiences that shaped her voice as both a novelist and political essayist.
Known globally for her Booker Prize–winning novel The God of Small Things, Roy has long been celebrated for blending literary craft with sharp socio-political critique; this latest work extends that approach into autobiographical territory.
The 2026 shortlist, described by judges as “exceptional,” spans a wide range of subjects—from geopolitics and exile to art and healing. Alongside Roy are prominent writers including Lyse Doucet, recognised for her work on Afghanistan, and other authors whose books interrogate identity, displacement, and global conflict through rigorously researched narratives.
Established in 2024, the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction seeks to address the historical underrepresentation of women in nonfiction writing. The award carries a purse of £30,000 and has quickly emerged as a significant platform for amplifying women’s voices across disciplines such as history, memoir, journalism, and cultural criticism.
Roy’s inclusion on the shortlist underscores not only her enduring literary relevance but also the growing prominence of memoir as a vehicle for political and personal exploration. Her work, often rooted in the Indian socio-political landscape yet resonating globally, continues to challenge and expand the boundaries of nonfiction storytelling.
The winner of the 2026 prize will be announced in London on June 11.
