Alka Joshi

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2022}} {{Infobox writer  | image = Alkajoshiphoto.jpeg | caption = | name = Alka Joshi | birth_date = | birth_place = Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India | occupation = Author | alma_mater = Stanford University<br>California College of the Arts | genre = | notableworks = ''The Henna Artist'' | website = {{URL|https://alkajoshi.com/}} }} '''Alka Joshi''' is an Indian-American author known for her novel ''The Henna Artist''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Yes, It Is Possible to Change History. Write a Novel!|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/28/books/review/the-henna-artist-alka-joshi.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 23, 2022|last=Egan|first=Elisabeth|date=2020-05-28}}</ref>

== Early life and education == Alka Joshi was born in Jodhpur, India.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alka Joshi: Re-imagining India as a debutant novelist at 61 |url=https://www.globalindian.com/story/cover-story/indias-debutant-novelist/ |access-date=2026-03-03 |website=The Global Indian |language=en-US}}</ref> She and her family moved to the United States<nowiki/>in 1967, when Joshi was nine.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shukla |first=Anya |date=2022-02-26 |title=Alka Joshi Tells Unsung Stories |url=http://www.colorizationcollective.org/2/post/2022/02/alka-joshi-tells-unsung-stories.html |access-date=2026-03-03 |website=THE COLORIZATION COLLECTIVE |language=en}}</ref>

She received her Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University and her Master of Fine Arts from California College of the Arts.<ref>{{cite news|title=In Conversation with Alka Joshi, Author of Best-Selling Novel 'The Henna Artist'|url=https://khaleejesque.me/2022/03/06/in-conversation-with-alka-joshi-author-of-best-selling-novel-the-henna-artist/|work=Khaleejesque|access-date=June 23, 2022|last=Alkhaleel|first=Danah|date=March 6, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= The ‘Indian Downton Abbey’: Bay Area author’s ‘The Henna Artist’ celebrates the beauty and complexity of post-independence India |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/11/18/the-indian-downtown-abbey-bay-area-authors-the-henna-artist-celebrates-the-beauty-and-complexity-of-post-independence-india/|work=The Mercury News|access-date=June 23, 2022|last=Ross|first=Martha|date=November 18, 2021}}</ref>

== Career == Joshi began writing her debut novel, ''The Henna Artist'', in 2010 and it was published in 2020.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Alka Joshi |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/alka-joshi/ |access-date=2026-03-03 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> ''The Henna Artist'' was the May 2020 pick for Reese's Book Club''.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Henna Artist |url=https://reesesbookclub.com/book/the-henna-artist/ |access-date=2026-03-03 |website=Reese's Book Club |language=en-US}}</ref> It is being made into a TV adaptation by Netflix, starring Freida Pinto.<ref>{{cite news|title=Netflix Acquires ‘The Henna Artist’ Starring Freida Pinto From Miramax TV; Sri Rao To Develop As Part Of First-Look Deal|url=https://deadline.com/2021/10/netflix-the-henna-artist-freida-pinto-miramax-tv-sri-rao-to-first-look-deal-1234857998/|work=Deadline|access-date=June 23, 2022|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=October 19, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Author Alka Joshi on the art of writing and an exciting Netflix acquisition|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/books/2022/01/21/author-alka-joshi-on-the-art-of-writing-and-an-exciting-netflix-acquisition/|work=The National |access-date=June 23, 2022|last=Lodi|first=Hafsa|date=January 20, 2022}}</ref>

In 2021, Joshi published her second novel, ''The Secret Keeper of Jaipur'', the sequel to ''The Henna Artist''.<ref name=":1">{{cite news|title= Alka Joshi’s sequel, ‘The Secret Keeper of Jaipur’ continues the saga |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/story/2021-10-31/alka-joshis-sequel-the-secret-keeper-of-jaipur-continues-the-saga|work=The San Diego Union-Tribune |access-date=June 23, 2022|last=Davidson|first=Denise|date=October 31, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= 'Henna Artist' Author Publishes Second Novel |url=https://www.ijpr.org/show/the-jefferson-exchange/2021-06-29/wed-9-am-henna-artist-author-publishes-second-novel|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629213629/https://www.ijpr.org/show/the-jefferson-exchange/2021-06-29/wed-9-am-henna-artist-author-publishes-second-novel|url-status=live|archive-date=June 29, 2021|work=Jefferson Public Radio |date=June 29, 2021}}</ref> The final book in the Jaipur Trilogy, ''The Perfumist of Paris'', came out in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Popęda |first=Agata |date=2023-03-28 |title=Happy pub day to Alka Joshi and The Perfumist of Paris |url=https://www.montereycountynow.com/opinion/mcnow_intro/happy-pub-day-to-alka-joshi-and-the-perfumist-of-paris/article_1ac1c892-cdca-11ed-a7df-4f6a2ae04f47.html |access-date=2026-03-03 |website=Monterey County NOW |language=en}} </ref>

In 2025, Joshi released ''Six Days in Bombay'', a historical mystery loosely based on the life of Amrita Sher-Gil.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Blumberg-Kason |first=Susan |date=2025-05-11 |title='Six Days in Bombay' by Alka Joshi |url=https://asianreviewofbooks.com/six-days-in-bombay-by-alka-joshi/ |access-date=2026-03-03 |website=Asian Review of Books |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Novels ==

* ''The Henna Artist'' (2020)<ref name=":0" /> * ''The Secret Keeper of Jaipur'' (2021)<ref name=":1" /> * ''The Perfumist of Paris'' (2023)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://asiasociety.org/texas/events/alka-joshi-perfumist-paris-aparna-shewakramani | title=Alka Joshi on ‘The Perfumist of Paris’ With Aparna Shewakramani|access-date=2026-03-02|website=Asia Society}}</ref> * ''Six Days in Bombay'' (2025)<ref name=":2" /> == References == {{reflist}}

== External links == * {{Official website|https://www.alkajoshi.com/}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joshi, Alka}} Category:Living people Category:20th-century Indian novelists Category:Indian novelists Category:Year of birth missing (living people)