Arundhati Roy has been awarded the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography for her book ‘Mother Mary Comes to Me’. The announcement was made on Saturday.

Awards recognise excellence across six categories

The National Book Critics Circle revealed winners across six categories for books written in English. These categories include Fiction, Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Poetry and Criticism.

Her memoir was shortlisted alongside several notable works. The other finalists in the autobiography category included ‘Memorial Days’ by Geraldine Brooks, ‘Paper Girl’ by Beth Macy, ‘Shattered’ by Hanif Kureishi, and ‘A Truce That Is Not Peace’ by Miriam Toews.

Announcement shared on social media

Roy and her publisher, Scribner, shared the news on Instagram following the official announcement.

“MOTHER MARY COMES TO ME has won the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography! Congratulations, Arundhati Roy,” Roy wrote in her post.

A deeply personal narrative

‘Mother Mary Comes to Me’ explores Roy’s layered and often complicated relationship with her mother, Mary Roy. The memoir presents Mary Roy as a strong and influential figure who played a defining role in shaping Arundhati Roy’s life, both personally and creatively.

A return to long-form writing

The book marks Roy’s second novel, arriving after a gap of nearly two decades. During this period, she focused largely on essays that attracted both admiration and criticism. It is also her first memoir.

A distinguished literary career

Roy first rose to international prominence when she won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her debut novel, ‘The God of Small Things’. She became the first Indian woman to receive the honour, which is awarded annually for the best original novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom.