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Ruth Prawer Jhabvala Biography

Birth Name:Ruth Prawer

Birth Place:Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Profession Writer, Soundtrack

Fast Facts

Her novel "Heat and Dust," which later went on to become a movie, received the Booker Prize in 1975
Fled to England from Nazi Germany, and kept herself occupied by reading Charles Dickens and "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell
Due to her services to Literature, she was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1998
After moving to New York in 1975, she wrote many novels portraying lives of immigrants from post-Nazi Europe, using India as the setting of spiritual enlightenment several of her characters sought
Was first assumed to be an Indian due to her portrayals and perspectives on Indian lifestyles, but when her identity was revealed, her sales in India fell
She did not become a citizen of the United States until she was almost 60 years old
When first approached by Merchant Ivory Productions to film her screenplay "The Householder," she posed as a housemaid, seeking to avoid them

1984BAFTA Film Award-Best Screenplay - Adapted: winner
1984ALFS Award-Screenwriter of the Year: winner
1986NYFCC Award-Best Screenplay: nominated
1987Oscar-Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium: winner
1987BAFTA Film Award-Best Screenplay - Adapted: nominated
1987WGA Award (Screen)-Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium: winner
1990NYFCC Award-Best Screenplay: winner
1990USC Scripter Award-: nominated
1992ACCA-Best Adapted Screenplay: nominated
1993Oscar-Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published: winner
1993BAFTA Film Award-Best Screenplay - Adapted: nominated
1993Golden Globe-Best Screenplay - Motion Picture: nominated
1993USC Scripter Award-: nominated
1993WGA Award (Screen)-Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published: nominated
1994Oscar-Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published: nominated
1994BAFTA Film Award-Best Screenplay - Adapted: nominated
1994CFCA Award-Best Screenplay: nominated
1994Golden Globe-Best Screenplay - Motion Picture: nominated
1994USC Scripter Award-: nominated
1994WGA Award (Screen)-Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published: nominated
2013Felix-Best Adapted Screenplay: nominated
2014Felix-Best Adapted Screenplay: nominated