Anita Desai

Indian novelist, University professor (born 1937)
Person human Q268495
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Anita Desai

Summary

Anita Desai is a human[1]. Her place of birth was Mussoorie[2]. She was born on +1937-06-24T00:00:00Z[3]. She worked as a writer[4], novelist[5], university teacher[6], and short story writer[7]. She ranks in the top 0.7% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (521 views/month, #6,953 of 1,000,298).[8]

Key Facts

  • Anita Desai's place of birth was Mussoorie[2].
  • Anita Desai was born on +1937-06-24T00:00:00Z[3].
  • A child of Anita Desai was Kiran Desai[9].
  • Anita Desai held citizenship in India[10].
  • Anita Desai worked as a writer[4].
  • Anita Desai's professions included novelist[5].
  • Anita Desai worked as a university teacher[6].
  • Anita Desai worked as a short story writer[7].
  • Anita Desai was employed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology[11].
  • Among Anita Desai's employers was Mount Holyoke College[12].
  • Among Anita Desai's employers was Smith College[13].
  • Anita Desai was educated at University of Delhi[14].
  • Anita Desai was educated at Miranda House[15].
  • A notable work attributed to Anita Desai is Fire on the Mountain[16].
  • Anita Desai received the Padma Bhushan in literature & education[17].
  • Anita Desai received the Padma Shri in literature and education[18].
  • Anita Desai received the Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature[19].
  • Anita Desai received the Sahitya Akademi Award[20].
  • Anita Desai received the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize[21].
  • Anita Desai received the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize[22].
  • Anita Desai was a member of Royal Society of Literature[23].
  • Anita Desai was a member of American Academy of Arts and Letters[24].
  • Anita Desai's religion is recorded as Hinduism[25].
  • Anita Desai is recorded as female[26].
  • Anita Desai's instance of is recorded as human[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Born in Mussoorie[2], Anita Desai… she was born on +1937-06-24T00:00:00Z[3].

Education

Educated at University of Delhi[14], a central university[28], in India[29], founded in 1922[30], headquartered in New Delhi[31] and Miranda House[15], a college[32], in India[33], founded in 1948[34].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include writer[4], novelist[5], university teacher[6], and short story writer[7]. Employers include Massachusetts Institute of Technology[11], a university[35], in United States[36], founded in 1861[37], headquartered in Cambridge[38]; Mount Holyoke College[12], a liberal arts college in the United States[39], in United States[40], founded in 1837[41], headquartered in South Hadley[42]; and Smith College[13], a university[43], in United States[44], founded in 1871[45], headquartered in Northampton[46].

Works and Contributions

A notable work attributed to Anita Desai is Fire on the Mountain[16].

Recognition

Awards received include Padma Bhushan in literature & education[17]; Padma Shri in literature and education[18]; Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature[19], a fellowship award[47], in United Kingdom[48]; Sahitya Akademi Award[20], a literary award[49], in India[50]; Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize[21], a literary award[51], in United Kingdom[52]; and Guardian Children's Fiction Prize[22], a literary award[53], in United Kingdom[54], founded in 1967[55].

Personal Life

A child of Anita Desai was Kiran Desai[9]. Her religion is recorded as Hinduism[25].

Why It Matters

Anita Desai ranks in the top 0.7% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (521 views/month, #6,953 of 1,000,298).[8] She has Wikipedia articles in 19 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[56] She is known by 8 alternative names across languages and contexts.[57]

Works attributed to her include The Village by the Sea[58], a literary work[59], written by her[60].

FAQs

Where was Anita Desai born?

Anita Desai's place of birth was Mussoorie[2].

What did Anita Desai do for work?

Anita Desai worked as writer[4], novelist[5], university teacher[6], and short story writer[7].

Where did Anita Desai go to school?

Anita Desai was educated at University of Delhi[14] and Miranda House[15].

What awards did Anita Desai receive?

Honors received include Padma Bhushan in literature & education[17], Padma Shri in literature and education[18], Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature[19], and Sahitya Akademi Award[20].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. wikidata.org.
  2. [26] . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [10] . wikidata.org.
  4. [27] . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  5. [9] . wikidata.org.
  6. [14] . The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. wikidata.org.
  7. [15] . wikidata.org.
  8. [4] . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  9. [5] . The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. wikidata.org.
  10. [6] . wikidata.org.
  11. [7] . The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. wikidata.org.
  12. [11] . wikidata.org.
  13. [12] . wikidata.org.
  14. [13] . wikidata.org.
  15. [25] . wikidata.org.
  16. [17] . wikidata.org.
  17. [18] . webcitation.org. webcitation.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  18. [19] . rsliterature.org. Retrieved . rsliterature.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  19. [20] . sahitya-akademi.gov.in. Retrieved . sahitya-akademi.gov.in. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  20. [21] . British Council. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  21. [22] . wikidata.org.
  22. [23] . wikidata.org.
  23. [24] . wikidata.org.
  24. [3] . IMDb. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  25. [16] . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [58] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [51] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [53] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [54] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [55] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [59] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [60] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [8] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [56] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [57] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Anita Desai. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/anita-desai
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BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_anita-desai_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Anita Desai}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/anita-desai}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
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