Vikram Seth is an Indian novelist, poet, and travel writer, best known for his epic novel ‘A Suitably Boy’. He has been in the field of writing for more than three decades and is regarded as one of the most influential writers of the modern era. He has been honored with Sahitya Akademi Award, Padma Shri, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, WH Smith Literature and Crossword Book Award. In 2001, Vikram Seth was awarded the Order of the British Umpire Award.
Vikram Seth Biography & Wiki
| Vikram Seth Real Name | Vikram Seth |
| Profession | Poet & Novelist |
| Physical Stat | |
| Vikram Seth Height | In Centimeter- 160 cm In Meter- 1.60 m In Feet- 5’3” |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Personal Life | |
| Date Of Birth | 20 June 1952 |
| Vikram Seth Age (2021) | 70 Years |
| Birthplace | Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Zodiac Sign/Sun Sign | Gemini |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Home town | Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| School | St. Michael’s School, Patna, St. Xavier’s School, Patna The Doon School, DehraDun. Tonbridge School, England |
| College/University | Corpus Christi College, Oxford Stanford University, California, U.S.A. Nanjing University, China |
| Religion/Cast | Hinduism |
| Food Habit | Non-vegetarian |
| Hobbies | Reading, Writing, Listing to music, Swimming & Singing |
| Family Member | |
| Sexual Orientation | Biesexual |
| Affairs | Philippe Honore (French musician/violinist) |
| Parents | Father- Prem Nath Seth Mother- Leila Seth |
| Sibling | Brother- Shantum Seth Sister- Aradhana Seth |
| Favorite Things | |
| Favorite Food | Chapli Kabab, Shami Kabab, Awadhi Biryani, Hyderabadi Biryani |
| Favorite Poets | Timothy Steele, Donald Davie |
| Favorite Novelist | Jane Austen, George Eliot, R. K. Narayana |
| Favorite Wine | Villa Maria |
| Income | |
| Vikram Seth Net Worth (2022) | 20 Million USD |
Family, Early Life and Education
Vikram Seth was born to Prem Seth and his wife Leila Seth, on 20 June 1952, in Calcutta (now renamed Kolkata) located in the state of West Bengal in India. His father was an executive with Bata shoe company, while his mother was a judge. He was the eldest among his parents’ three children.
He studied at the St. Michael’s School, Patna, St. Xavier’s School, Patna and subsequently at The Doon School, Dehra Dun. Thereafter, he moved to England and completed his A-Levels from the Tonbridge School.
After graduating from high school, he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford and graduated with a B. A. Degree in 1975. From 1975 to 1986, he pursued his Ph.D. at Stanford University, California, U.S.A.
Vikram Seth is openly gay and was in a long term relationship with French musician/violinist Philippe Honore.
Vikram Seth Career
When he was at Stanford University, USA, he was a Wallace Stegner Fellow in the field of creative writing. At the same time he started writing poetry which became famous in his ‘Mumpings’ in 1980. The book did not get good reviews from critics.
From 1980 to 1982, he went to China for research in his field. He traveled extensively in China to collect the literature of his doctoral dissertation which he had never written. While in China, he studied classical Chinese poetry and language at Nanjing University.
1983 His second book ‘From Heaven Lake’ became famous. In this, he has told about his journey from China to India. The book was praised by critics and his work came to the fore.
In 1985, another book of poetry called ‘The Amble Administrator’s Garden’ was published.
One of his novels, The Golden Gate, which came out in 1986, was unique because the book was in the form of poetry and told about the lives of the people of Silicon Valley. This novel is inspired by Alexander Pushkin’s work Eugene Onegin. The book was a huge success and received much acclaim from the literary press.
In 1990, he wrote a book of poetry called ‘All You Who Sleep Tonight’. And in 1992 wrote a book of poetry named ‘Three Chinese Poets’.
In 1992, Seth wrote a book for children called Beastly Tales from Hera and There. It contains ten stories about creatures.
His most famous book was ‘A Suitable Boy’ in 1993. This story is based on a family after independence. This book has 1349 pages and it is one of the longest books in the English language.
Another book of his came in 1994 and that was ‘The Frog and Nightingale’.
His book ‘Equal Music’ became famous in 1999. The story of this book is based on the love of violinist Michael and pianist Julia. This book was well received by the music fans. People also praised him for the music that Vikram Seth has described in this book.
In 2005, another book of his came out that was ‘To Live’. This book is based on true incident. The story is based on his great uncle Shanti Behari Seth and his German Jewish aunt Hennerle Garda Karo.
Vikram Seth is currently working on the next part of ‘A Suitable Boy’. Her name is ‘A Suitable Girl’ which came in 2016.
The book ‘A Suitable Boy’ is considered to be the most important book of his career. This is one of the longest books in the English language. In this, information about elections and political issues has been given till 1952.
Vikram Seth Famous Novels:
The Golden Gate (1986)
A Suitable Boy (1993)
An Equal Music (1999)
A Suitable Girl (2016)
Awards and Honors
In 1985, he won the Sahitya Akademi Award, an Indian literary honour, for his book ‘The Golden Gate’.
In 2001, he was made an Order of the British Empire.
In 2007, he was bestowed with ‘Padma Shri’—India’s fourth highest civilian honour.