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Penguin Random House is Commemorating its 35 years in India by Publishing Some of the Most Well-Known Works of Indian Literature

on Oct 12, 2022

Mumbai, October 11: The biggest publishing business in the nation continues its holiday celebrations as it marks a significant anniversary.

This year, Penguin Random House India turns 35. In the past 35 years, the company has published some of the most recognizable works of Indian literature, unearthed some of the world's best writers from South Asia, and grown to be a favorite among readers.

The CEO of Penguin Random House India & SEA, Gaurav Shrinagesh, said on the anniversary: "When you look at India's literary history, 35 may not seem like such a huge milestone. But for Penguin, it is a gratifying time to have succeeded in improving a country as varied and cosmopolitan as ours.

A number of the best writers of the modern era have been found and published by us throughout the years, and more recently, our novels have made news around the world after winning the Booker International Prize and being nominated for the Booker Prize for Fiction.

This is a true honor from our readers, who have motivated us to improve and do more.

Penguin is pleased to announce the beginning of a unique campaign called #BookedByPenguin, a pun that encapsulates Penguin's influence on the publishing and literary industries.

#BookedByPenguin welcomes everyone who has ever been associated with Penguin—from the books to the writers who have been published to the employees who adore our brand—to join us as we launch on all of our platforms on October 10 with interesting content, competitions, and prizes.

Additionally, the nationwide integrated campaign comprises online and physical components. To commemorate this significant occasion, retail companies and independent bookshops have also joined the celebration. Special collaborations are also launched as part of #BookedByPenguin to promote reading.

We will make metro travel even more fascinating by working with Books on the Delhi Metro (BODM), a non-profit program so that customers will find books at unexpected areas in the metro and have the opportunity to pay it forward as well.

According to a media release issued here on Tuesday, "watch out for hints and suggestions on social media for a chance to get your hands on a Penguin book."

Penguin has also announced the launching of a unique anniversary edition series of some of the most famous novels produced over these years to commemorate these exciting three and a half decades in the nation.

An eclectic catalog is made up of 35 books, all of which have had a lasting effect on our bookshelves and our literary landscape. From literary fiction, romance, thrillers, narrative non-fiction, business, history, and minority voices, this new collector’s edition series is going to have something for everyone.

With attractive new looks and covers, these books will be available across bookstores in the country and online from November onwards. Along with the collector’s editions, the readers will also have a chance to take home exclusive Penguin anniversary mementos available at bookstores in the country to give away with the collector’s editions.

Penguin is also committed to giving back to the community by donating 10,000 books through our different partners that serve and help the disadvantaged. The Community Library Project is helping take our books to first-generation readers and those who do not have easy access to books. This is in line with our vision to promote the habit of reading among the people of our country.

In 1985, Penguin was founded in India, and in 1987, printing operations started. In 2005, Random House's publishing program and distribution activities were introduced in India. One of the most notable English trade publishers and one of the most recognizable names in the business, Penguin Random House is the outcome of a merger between the two international publishing firms in 2013.

Amitav Ghosh, Arundhati Roy, Sudha Murty, Ruskin Bond, Khushwant Singh, the former president of India, the late APJ Abdul Kalam, Ramchandra Guha, Satyajit Ray, Jhumpa Lahiri, Siddhartha Mukherjee, and Salman Rushdie are just a few of the great writers who have made India and the subcontinent their home over time.

Since then, Penguin has also been bringing international literature to South Asia and the Indian subcontinent in addition to introducing Indian literature to the globe. Along with books produced by our group companies in the USA and UK, we have over 1.5 lakh titles from renowned publishers over the years, including Faber, Canongate, Fitzcaraldo Editions, Walker Books, Ingram, Harvard Business Review, Columbia University Press, Princeton University Press, and many more.

Our international portfolio includes titles by Nobel Laureates, Booker Prize winners, and New York Times bestselling authors, including former US President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Dan Brown, Yuval Noah Harari, Jeff Kinney, Rick Riordan, Roald Dahl, Margaret Atwood, Harper Lee, Stephen Hawking, Elif Shafak, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Haruki Murakami, and Annie Ernaux, the most recent recipient of the Nobel Prize.

With the establishment of Penguin Random House SEA (PRH SEA) in 2018, Penguin expanded its publishing activities into South East Asia, keeping with our commitment to support regional publishing in the region.

With its headquarters in Singapore, PRH SEA has quickly gained notoriety as a platform for writers from Singapore and Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar in the English-language adult and children's fiction and non-fiction categories (Burma).

With the help of first-time English language translations, it has brought South East Asian classics back into the mainstream of literature. Its publications have gone on to receive plaudits and honors, including The Singapore Book Awards.