Tishani Doshi

Biography

Tishani Doshi is an acclaimed Indian poet, novelist, and dancer, celebrated for her lyrical writing that explores identity, the body, love, loss, and belonging. Her works beautifully weave together poetry, movement, and emotion, making her one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Indian English literature.

🌿 Early Life and Background

Tishani Doshi was born in Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu, in 1975, to a Welsh mother and a Gujarati father. Growing up in a multicultural household gave her a rich sense of identity and perspective that deeply influences her writing.

She studied Communication and English at Queen’s College, North Carolina, and later earned a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins University, USA.

In addition to being a writer, Tishani is also an accomplished dancer, having performed for many years with the renowned choreographer Chandralekha — an experience that profoundly shaped her understanding of the body and artistic expression.

✍️ Literary Career

Tishani Doshi’s literary debut came with her poetry collection Countries of the Body (2006), which won the Forward Poetry Prize for Best First Collection. Her poetry and prose are marked by sensuality, introspection, and a deep connection to nature and the body.

Major Works:

Poetry Collections:

Countries of the Body (2006)

Everything Begins Elsewhere (2012)

Girls Are Coming Out of the Woods (2018)

A God at the Door (2021)

Novels:

The Pleasure Seekers (2010) — shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Hindu Best Fiction Award.

The Adulterous Citizen (2015) — a collection of poetry and prose.

Small Days and Nights (2019) — longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction (2020).

🌺 Themes and Style

Tishani Doshi’s writing is known for its lyrical elegance and emotional honesty. Her recurring themes include:

The female body and its strength, vulnerability, and resilience.

The idea of home and displacement.

Love, death, and desire.

The relationship between humans and nature.

The search for identity in a globalized world.

Her poetry often merges the personal with the political — addressing issues like violence against women, ecological destruction, and social injustice, while maintaining a deeply human and compassionate tone.

🏅 Awards and Recognition

Forward Poetry Prize for Best First Collection (2006)

Shortlisted for the Hindu Literary Prize (2010)

Longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction (2020)

Her works have appeared in major international journals and anthologies, including The Guardian, Granta, and Poetry Review.

💃 Dance and Artistic Vision

Tishani’s long association with the late Chandralekha, a pioneering Indian choreographer, profoundly influenced her understanding of art as a fusion of body and language. For her, dance and poetry are both forms of movement, exploring rhythm, space, and silence.

🕊️ Legacy and Influence

Tishani Doshi is one of the most important contemporary Indian women writers, bridging cultures through her art. Her work continues to inspire readers with its beauty, physicality, and courage — encouraging a deeper awareness of what it means to live, love, and create in the modern world.

🌼 Conclusion

Through her poetry, prose, and dance, Tishani Doshi celebrates the interconnectedness of body, spirit, and landscape. Her voice — both tender and fierce — reminds us that art is not only about expression but also about survival, empathy, and the eternal search for home.