A prolific and inspiring novelist, non-fiction writer and reporter for the

New Yorker

from 1961 to 1994, Ved Mehta is a rare literary gem whose prestigious qualifications (he was educated both in Oxford at Balliol College and at Harvard University between the 1950s and 1960s) are overshadowed only by his numerous international awards: from honorary degrees (Williams, 1986 and Stirling University, Scotland, 1988) to several Ford Foundation grants, and two Guggenheims. He was a MacArthur Prize Fellow (1982–1987) and honorary fellow of Balliol College, Oxford (1999). Yet some describe him as admittedly truculent by nature, a writer to whom Harvard seemed “like an intellectual version of Hollywood”.

Of all Indian-born writers, it is Salman Rushdie, unusual admirer of the founding

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Citation: Alterno, Letizia. "Ved Mehta". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 May 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3072, accessed 19 March 2024.]

3072 Ved Mehta 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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