Outstanding books selected across Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Translation, and Debut categories; winners to be honoured in Delhi during the inaugural ceremony of KLF Indraprastha
New Delhi: The Kalinga Literary Festival (KLF) has announced the longlist for the Book Awards 2026 across various Hindi language categories. The longlist recognises outstanding books published in 2025 and reflects the diversity, depth, and creative vitality of contemporary Hindi literature.
In the Hindi Non-Fiction category, notable works include Ajay Sodani’s ‘Ek Tha Zanskar’, Reetika Khera’s ‘Revdi Ya Haq: Samajik Suraksha Par Ek Nazariya’, Yashwant Vyas’s ‘Begampul Se Dariyaganj’, Amol Palekar’s ‘Amanat Ek Smriti Kosh’, Alpana Mishra’s ‘Suraj, Sakura aur Safar’, Seema Kapoor’s ‘Yun Guzri Hai Ab Talak’, and Dr. Arvind Yadav’s ‘Anashwar: 14th Dalai Lama ki Jeevani’.
The Fiction category features Nidhi Agrawal’s ‘Prem Ek Paltoo Billi’, Satyanarayan’s ‘Is Minkhajoon Mein “Yayavar ki Diary”’, Pankaj Subir’s ‘Khaibar Darra’, Urmila Shirish’s ‘Nani ki Diary’, Balendu Dwivedi’s ‘Badshah Salamat Hazir Hon…!’, Raju Sharma’s ‘Gareebzaade’, and Gyan Chaturvedi’s ‘Roshni ki Shinakht’.
In Poetry, selected works include Vinay Kumar’s ‘Shreyasi’, Ashutosh Agnihotri’s ‘Main Boond Swayam, Khud Sagar Hoon’, Panna Trivedi’s ‘Dhoop ke Hastakshar’, Anila Rakhecha’s ‘Kajal ki Med’, Prabha Mujumdar’s ‘Nakaarti Hoon Nirvasan’, Rajeshwar Vashishtha’s ‘Prajatantra Mein Kabootar’, and Yatindra Mishra’s ‘Bina Kaling Vijay ke’.
The Translation category includes Derek Bose’s ‘Sameer: Lafzon ke Saath Safarnama’ (translated by Prabhat Milind), Ruskin Bond’s ‘Apni Dhun Mein’ (translated by Prabhat Singh), Maye Musk’s ‘Jab Aurat Sochti Hai’ (translated by Yunus Khan), ‘Jugalbandi’ (translated by Rekha Sethi), Gabriel García Márquez’s ‘Ek Ailaniya Maut ka Kissa’ (translated by Manisha Taneja), ‘Jamshedji Tata: Corporate Safalta ke liye Shaktishali Seekh’ (translated by Dr. Sanjeev Mishra), and Baba Harihar Ram’s ‘Aghor: Ek Nai Chadar’ (translated by Vimal Kumar Tiwari).
In the Debut category, the longlisted titles include Balwant Kaur’s ‘Smriti aur Dansh: Vibhajan, Nirantarata aur Teesri Peedhi’, Parag Pavan’s ‘Jab Har Hansi Sandigdh Thi’, Rashmi Kulshreshtha’s ‘Shesh Rahega Prem’, Shweta Upadhyay’s ‘Dhara ke Ank Mein’, Rekha Jha’s ‘Bina Muradon Wala Diya’, Dr. Ratan Lal Mahendragarhi’s ‘Sarkash Faqeer: Sahir Ludhianvi ki Jeevan Yatra’, and Malini Awasthi’s ‘Chandan Kivaad’.
The awards will be presented in Delhi during the inaugural ceremony of KLF Indraprastha, bringing together distinguished authors, publishers, scholars, and literary enthusiasts from across the country.
The KLF Book Awards 2026 recognise exceptional literary works across a wide spectrum of categories including Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Translation, Debut, and Children’s Literature. These awards aim to highlight powerful storytelling, original ideas, and thought-provoking scholarship that enrich contemporary literary discourse.
The awards are presented by the Kalinga Literary Festival, one of India’s leading platforms dedicated to promoting literature, ideas, and cultural dialogue. Through these awards, the festival continues its commitment to nurturing literary excellence and fostering meaningful engagement between writers and readers.
Quote from KLF Leadership
Rashmi Ranjan Parida, Founder and Director of the Kalinga Literary Festival, said:
“The KLF Book Awards celebrate the enduring power of books and the voices that shape our cultural and intellectual imagination. By recognising exceptional literary works, we aim to honour writers who inspire millions, ignite meaningful conversations, and proudly carry forward the timeless legacy of literature.”
The KLF Book Awards 2026 will honour outstanding books published during 2025, acknowledging authors whose works have made significant contributions to literature and public discourse.
The longlists across categories reflect the vibrant diversity of contemporary writing, spanning a wide range of themes, voices, and perspectives. Selected by eminent juries comprising distinguished writers, scholars, and literary experts, the awards continue to uphold the highest standards of literary excellence.
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