Mistry's novel "Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer" won the prestigious 2014 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature here Saturday, beating off stiff competition from five other authors.
The novel explores the complex and closed lives of Parsi corpse-bearers, in which a Parsi priest falls in love with the daughter of a corpse bearer.
"This community (corpse bearer) is shunned by the society and while writing about them, I did have a fear that people might unnecessarily drag it into controversy. But, I am glad nothing of that sort happened and I was able to raise certain moral questions through my narrative," he said.
The award came with a trophy and a cash prize of $50,000, and Mistry hopes he is able to use it wisely for his writing pursuits.
The writer also thinks many would now make an attempt to read the novel, since it has fetched him the award.
"You know the way people are. When you win a prize, people want to read it, even those who might have resisted reading it earlier," he said.
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