Hannah Lalhlanpuii
Hannah Lalhlanpuii | |
|---|---|
 In a 2022 video | |
| Born | Aizawl, Mizoram, India |
| Occupations | Writer, assistant professor |
| Notable work | When Blackbirds Fly |
Hannah Lalhlanpuii is a Mizo author and academic from Aizawl, Mizoram, India, whose writing highlights Mizo history and culture.[1][2] Her work encompasses themes such as postcolonial studies, and children's literature.[3][4]
Early life and education
Lalhlanpuii pursued her Bachelor of Arts in English at St. Edmund's College, Shillong, Meghalaya, followed by a Master of Arts in English from North-Eastern Hill University, Meghalaya[5]. She earned her Master of Philosophy from the University of Hyderabad, Telangana, and completed her Doctor of Philosophy at Mizoram University[6]. Her academic focus includes postcolonial studies, trauma writing, and children's literature.[7][8]
Career
In August 2022, Lalhlanpuii joined the Department of English at Mizoram Christian College as an assistant professor[9]. Her academic interests lie in postcolonial studies, trauma writing, and children's literature[10].
Lalhlanpuii's debut novel When Blackbirds Fly[11] drew critical attention for portraying the Mizo insurgency through a child's eyes. Reviewing it for Scroll.in, Veewon Thokchom placed the book within "terror lore", a genre he associated with Mizo writing about the disturbed years, and called it one of the few Mizo novels written in English, following Malsawmi Jacob's Zorami (2015)[12]. Writing in The Indian Express, Tora Agarwala described the novel as recounting the Mizo independence movement through the life of a young boy caught in its turmoil[13].
Awards and recognition
Her book, When Blackbirds Fly was included in the 2023 Parag Honour List, which is an annual selection of notable children's and young-adult books published by the Parag initiative of Tata Trusts[14]. The novel was also shortlisted for the Neev Book Award 2023 in the young-adult category[15].
Further in 2026, Lalhlanpuii's Songs of Freedom: Postcard from the Lushai Brigade was selected for the IBBY Honour List as India's English-language nomination in the writing category[16][17]. Her short story "A Bird Called Freedom" also appeared in the anthology Big Mistakes: An Anthology of Growing Up and Other Tough Stuffs (2021), and two of her poems were included in Lockdown Literature from Mizoram (2021)[18][19].
References
- ↑ "Mizo Writer Hannah Selected for IBBY Honour List to Represent India". Northeast Live. 13 July 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
- ↑ Iyer, Sahana (12 March 2022). "The price of our past". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ↑ "Hannah Lalhlanpuii". Penguin Random House India. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ↑ "Hannah Lalhlanpuii – Neev Literature Festival". Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ↑ "Hannah Lalhlanpuii". Penguin Random House India. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Mizoram Christian College". www.mizoramchristiancollege.org. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Mizoram Christian College". www.mizoramchristiancollege.org. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Vanglaini (13 July 2026). "Thalai - IBBY Honour list-ah Hannah Lalhlanpuii". vanglaini.org. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- ↑ "Hannah Lalhlanpuii • Brahmaputra Literature Festival". 5 January 2025. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ↑ Kohli, Shruti (4 March 2022). "'I wanted to tell the story of people whose traumatic experiences during the insurgency are silenced by political narratives': Hannah Lalhlanpuii, Author | Conversations". Kunzum. Archived from the original on 27 March 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ↑ "#Review: When Blackbirds Fly by Hannah L. – Lavender Orchids". Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ↑ Thokchom, Veewon (31 July 2022). "'When Blackbirds Fly' recounts the fight for Mizo independence amid horrors created by armed forces". Scroll.in. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ Agarwala, Tora (14 August 2022). "A novel recounts the Mizo 'independence' movement, and the life of a young boy caught in its turmoil". The Indian Express. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Understanding the northeast in books". Splainer. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Growing Historical Awareness, A Masterclass with Hannah Lalhlanpuii". Neev Literature Festival. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Mizo Writer Hannah Selected for IBBY Honour List to Represent India". Northeast Live. 13 July 2026. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ Vanglaini (13 July 2026). "Thalai - IBBY Honour list-ah Hannah Lalhlanpuii". vanglaini.org. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- ↑ "Hannah Lalhlanpuii". Neev Literature Festival. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Lockdown Literature from Mizoram". Writers Workshop. Retrieved 6 August 2026.