Zeenath Khan takes Hyderabad’s history to Mumbai LitFest shortlist

For Hyderabad author Zeenath Khan, who published her debut novel at the age of 52, the path to publication was an exacting journey that began in 2017. Now shortlisted for the ‘Mumbai LitFest’ in the ‘Best First Book: Fiction’ category for her novel, ‘The Sirens of September,’ Khan recalls discarding four or five drafts including trashing a manuscript of about 1,20,000 words while bringing the book to life.

“It was definitely a welcome surprise for me,” says Khan, smiling at the recognition. She’s also the second Hyderabadi woman to be shortlisted for the category in the past six years.

For someone who faced criticism for her commitment to writing about a subject, such as Hyderabad’s history, Khan endured more than her share of judgement.

“Women are always told, ‘You can’t do this, you can’t do that.’ You know how much I was discouraged from writing the book? They were like, ‘Oh, who will be interested? This Hyderabad topic is so boring.’ But I think it’s very important for women to pursue their passions, whatever they are,” she reflects.

“My daughter, she cheered me on a lot,” recalls Khan. “She encouraged me to not give up and keep at it.” And the rest is history.

Set against the 1948 annexation of Hyderabad State (Operation Polo), the historical fiction novel brings to life a chapter of Hyderabad’s history with lush, vivid prose and impeccable dialogue; it almost feels like tasting something exquisite.

“As a Hyderabadi, I believed I could lend authenticity,” notes the author. “There’s a certain understanding of the customs and the place that someone being from outside could not do.”

Through research across the United Kingdom and India, Khan honed her craft and narrative voice. “You have to persevere and believe in your story. And you have to be a bit humble also, because everybody thinks that their story is the best. But you have to be open to feedback, to criticism,” she says. “I wrote to maybe ten or twelve agents in the UK; didn’t hear back. Then Kanishka Gupta took it on in 2023. From there, after two or three revisions, it was handed over to the publisher and came out in 2025. My editor at Penguin Random House (India) was brilliant. She made suggestions without forcing me to do anything that went against my book,” shares Khan, on the slow burn process of traditional publishing.

Reflecting on the shortlist, she’s humble. “It’s a very subjective thing who wins because the genres of all three shortlisted titles are different. I’m just very excited and nervous.”

But why this subject? “I wanted to create nostalgia for a time and place we cannot visit. I feel that if you write it as fiction and people get involved with the characters and their emotions, it leaves an impact,” she shares.

“I think more people should write about the events of the South,” says the author, who is hopeful that this shortlist will shift publishers’ appetite for stories from the region.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Asra Ghouse

Asra Ghouse[email protected]