Ashhar Alam/New Delhi

Author Arundhati Roy has won the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography for her book Mother Mary Comes to Me, marking another major milestone in her celebrated literary career.

The award, announced on Saturday by the National Book Critics Circle, recognises outstanding works published in English across six categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Poetry, and Criticism.

Roy’s memoir was shortlisted alongside notable works such as Geraldine Brooks’ Memorial Days, Beth Macy’s Paper Girl, Hanif Kureishi’s Shattered, and Miriam Toews’ A Truce That Is Not Peace, before emerging as the winner in the autobiography segment.

Following the announcement, Roy and publisher Scribner Books shared the news on Instagram, expressing gratitude and celebrating the recognition. The author described the moment as a significant honour for her deeply personal work.

 

 

 

 

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Mother Mary Comes to Me explores Roy’s complex and deeply influential relationship with her mother, Mary Roy, whose strong personality played a defining role in shaping the writer’s worldview and creative journey.

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The book also marks Roy’s return to long-form narrative after nearly two decades, during which she focused on essays and political commentary that brought both acclaim and controversy. It is her first full-length memoir.

Roy, who gained global recognition after winning the Booker Prize in 1997 for her debut novel The God of Small Things, remains the first Indian woman to receive the prestigious literary honour.