Ravi Randhawa

Ravinder Randhawa is a highly regarded writer of novels and short stories whose work has been translated into several languages. Her first novel A Wicked Old Woman (The Women’s Press, 1987) is seen as a pioneering work of fiction and ‘arguably the first explicitly Asian British novel’. Randhawa’s second novel Hari-jan  (YA, Mantra, 1992) was listed among the top 20 books for the Feminist Bookfair in 1993. Her third novel The Coral Strand (House of Stratus, 2001) was received with acclaim.

Randhawa’s work has been broadcast on radio, her short stories have been published in anthologies internationally, and she has written articles for newspapers and magazines on social and political issues. In 1984 she set up the Asian Women Writers’ Workshop (later known as the Asian Women Writers’ Collective). She has taught at the Arvon Foundation, run creative-writing classes, given readings and talks at universities and other institutions. She has received a Kathleen Burnett award and been shortlisted for a David Wong award. A passionate believer in the value of literature, she is a member of Pen International, and is working on her novel exploring the ideas of death, violence and language.

Before becoming a full-time writer some of her earlier jobs included being a petrol-pump attendant, shop worker, teacher and co-ordinator for a group that set up the first refuge for battered Asian women. She lives in London with her family, loves the theatre, books, chatting and good coffee.