Trivandrum, India- December 27, 2025 – The K M Anthru International Literature Prize 2024 has been declared, honoring two distinguished authors for their outstanding contributions to contemporary literature. The prize, instituted in 2021 in memory of the late K M Anthru – a revered writer and the founder editor of the transnational magazine Litterateur Redefining World – celebrates literary excellence on a global scale.This year’s recipients are K. M. Chandrasekhar from Kerala, India, awarded in the Memoir category for his book As Good As My Word, published by HarperCollins Publishers India in 2022, and Anna Maria Mickiewicz from the United Kingdom, recognized in the Poetry category for her collection The Origin of the Planet, a series of free-verse poems published by Kelsay Books in 2024.
The announcement was made by Shajil Anthru, Chairman of the K M Anthru Foundation and Editor of Litterateur Redefining World. In a statement, he expressed pleasure in recognizing these works, noting that nominations were open to books published between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2024. The jury received over one hundred submissions and, after thorough deliberation, selected these two titles for their profound impact on the literary landscape.”As Good As My Word offers a remarkable first-hand account of Indian bureaucracy, politics, diplomacy, economic reforms, and governance from the 1970s to the 2010s,” the jury stated. “Distinguished by its clarity and an ‘ego-less’ narrative voice, the memoir provides rare insights seldom found in civil service writings, and was therefore unanimously chosen for the Prize in Memoir.”
Chandrasekhar, born on February 20, 1948, is a retired Indian civil servant of the 1970 batch Kerala cadre. He served as the 29th Cabinet Secretary of India from 2007 to 2011 under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, advising during pivotal events like the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and the global financial crisis. His career highlights include roles as Union Revenue Secretary, India’s Ambassador to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, and Founder-Chairman of the Spices Board of India. Post-retirement, he was Vice Chairman of the Kerala State Planning Board (2011–2016) and held directorships at companies like Tata Power and Federal Bank. In 2023, he received the Kerala Sree Award, the third-highest civilian honor from the Government of Kerala. As of 2025, he remains active in academic and policy circles, including the I.I.M.U.N. Academic Advisory Council.
For the Poetry prize, the jury praised The Origin of the Planet as “an authentic and reflective collection of free-verse poetry that, while understated in form, succeeds as a deeply personal and thoughtfully structured record of exile, loss, history, and quiet wonder. For its sincerity and contemplative power, the jury has selected this work. “Anna Maria Mickiewicz is a Polish-born, London-based poet, writer, editor, publisher, and foreign correspondent who writes in both Polish and English. Her work explores themes of memory, culture, identity, displacement, and expatriate life, drawing from her experiences as an émigré. She founded Literary Waves Publishing and edits Contemporary Writers of Poland (USA) and the annual Pamiętnik Literacki (The Literary Memoir) in London. She is a member of English PEN and has been involved in literary events like the Penzance Literary Festival and UNESCO’s World Poetry Day celebrations. Mickiewicz’s early life included activism in Poland’s 1980s civil rights movement, where she edited the underground magazine Wywrotowiec (The Rebel). Her selected collections include London Manuscript (UK, 2014), The Mystery of Time (USA, 2019), London Stories (UK, 2022), and Shades of Earth (UK, 2024). Her poetry has appeared in international journals across the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and beyond. Awards include Poland’s Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture, the Cross of Freedom and Solidarity, the Joseph Conrad Literary Prize (USA), and the 2022 Poetry Award from the quarterly YPSILON for “creating and keeping moments in miniatures and metaphors of emotions.” The Origin of the Planet has also been nominated for the Eric Hoffer Awards in the US.
The jury for the 2024 prize comprised Shajil Anthru (Chairman), multilingual writer and founder of Zeroism and Fishbone poetry; Giacomo Cuttone (Italy), an artist who redefines boundaries between drawing and writing; and Małgorzata Borzeszkowska (Poland), a contemporary poet associated with various literary circles.The K M Anthru International Literature Prize was established to fulfill the unachieved dream of K M Anthru, who passed away on December 19, 2020. While bedridden, he expressed his aspiration to become a publisher and editor. In response, Litterateur Redefining World was launched in August 2020 as a free-access transnational magazine, with Anthru as Managing Editor. The prize and foundation aim to create a global platform nurturing creativity, societal upliftment, and sustainable development through literature, arts, culture, skill enhancement, and nature-care initiatives.
Notable past laureates include:
2021: Jack Foley (USA), a California-based author and critic.
2022: Ivan Argüelles (USA), Antonino Contiliano (Italy), and Rosa Jamali (Iran).
2023: Giacomo Cuttone (Italy), Anvar Abdullah (India), and Sudhakar Gaidhani (India).
The jury expressed confidence that these award-winning works will continue to enlighten readers and contribute enduringly to world literature. For more details, visit the official website of Litterateur Redefining World.