A suitable voice

New Delhi: BBC’s audiobook of Vikram Seth’s novel A Suitable Boy won no less than two Gold Awards at the 2002 Spoken Words Awards scheme. The Awards are run by the Spoken Word Publishing Association and are judged by a panel of independent experts, including journalists, producers, writers and retailers.

A Suitable Boy won gold for Best Drama and for Best Production. Seth’s epic tale of India during the turbulent period following Independence and Partition was recorded by BBC Audiobooks with an all-Indian cast. A Suitable Boy was the second novel by the Kolkata-born Seth, who studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University and Stanford University. The novel was widely acclaimed and became an international bestseller.

A Suitable Boy was the only audiobook to win two gold awards, with BBC Audiobooks raking in 16 more awards, including the Gold Award for Publisher of the Year. Other BBC titles winning an award were Goon Again, Dinnerladies 2, Elizabeth, The Century Speaks, Ruby in the Smoke, Our Mutual Friend, Dead Ringers: The Specials, The Amber Spyglass, Snail Eggs And Samphire, Les Miserables, Hymn, Artemis Fowl, The Dalek’s Masterplan and Talking It Over.

Monisha Shah, BBC Worldwide head of Africa and South Asia, says: “Audiobooks are a wonderful way of experiencing literary masterpieces. In the UK they are well on their way to the heart of mainstream entertainment and I think the audiobook of Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy may bring spoken word audio to new audiences in India.”