Samit Basu
Samit Basu is an Indian novelist, film director and screenwriter.
Samit’s most recent novel, Chosen Spirits, an anti-dystopian novel set in Delhi a decade from now, was published by Simon and Schuster India in 2020, was critically acclaimed, a bestseller in multiple categories in India, and shortlisted for The JCB Prize for literature, India’s top fiction award.
In books, Samit is best known for his fantasy and science fiction work. His first novel, The Simoqin Prophecies, published by Penguin India in 2003, when Samit was 23, was the first book in the bestselling Gameworld Trilogy and marked the beginning of Indian English fantasy writing. The other books in the trilogy are The Manticore’s Secret and The Unwaba Revelations.
Samit’s first international crossover happened with the superhero novels Turbulence and Resistance. Turbulence was published by Titan Books in the UK in 2012 and in the US in 2013 to rave reviews. It won Wired‘s Goldenbot Award as one of the books of 2012 and was superheronovels.com’s Book of the Year for 2013. Its sequel, Resistance, was published in the UK/US in 2014 and was just as well received.
Samit also writes for younger readers: other works include the Adventures of Stoob series and Terror on the Titanic, a YA historical fantasy. He’s also published short stories for adults and younger readers in Indian and international anthologies, and has been a columnist and essayist in several leading Indian and international publications.
Samit also works as a film director and screenwriter. His debut film, House Arrest, was released as part of Netflix’s International Originals in 2019, and was one of Netflix’s top 5 most viewed Indian films that year. He wrote the film and co-directed it with Shashanka Ghosh.
In comics, Samit’s work ranges from historical romance to zombie comedy, and includes diverse collaborators, such as The Girl With All The Gifts/X-Men writer MR Carey and Grant Morrison.
Samit was born in Calcutta, educated in Calcutta and London, and currently works between Delhi and Mumbai. He runs a newsletter, Duck of Dystopia, and can be found on social media at @samitbasu , and at samitbasu.com
Contact: samitbasu(DOT)work(AT)gmail. Represented by Tulsea (Mumbai/LA) for film/TV and Fox Literary (NY) for books.
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