# Ira Mathur > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ira_Mathur > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ira_Mathur.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Mathur > Source revision: 1356195681 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Ira Mathur** is an [Indian](/source/India)-born [Trinidad and Tobago](/source/Trinidad_and_Tobago) multimedia freelance journalist who works as a multimedia freelance reporter, *[Sunday Guardian](/source/Trinidad_and_Tobago_Guardian)* columnist, and writer. The longest-running columnist for the *Sunday Guardian*, she has been writing an op-ed for the paper since 1995, except for a hiatus from 2003 to 2004 when she wrote for the Trinidad and Tobago *[Daily Express](/source/Trinidad_and_Tobago_Express)*. She has written more than eight hundred columns on politics, economics, social, health and developmental issues, locally, regionally and internationally. ## Biography Mathur was born in [Guwahati](/source/Guwahati), India,[1][2] "the offspring of a Muslim mother and a Hindu army officer",[3] was educated in India and the UK, and holds a liberal arts degree in Literature and Philosophy from [Trent University](/source/Trent_University) in Canada, as well as an LLB from the [University of London](/source/University_of_London) and a master's degree in International Journalism from [City University, London](/source/City_University,_London).[4] Mathur gained diplomas in creative writing at the [University of East Anglia](/source/University_of_East_Anglia)/Guardian with [Gillian Slovo](/source/Gillian_Slovo) and [James Scudamore](/source/James_Scudamore_(author)) and at [The Faber Academy](/source/The_Faber_Academy) with [Maggie Gee](/source/Maggie_Gee_(novelist)). Mathur is currently the *[Trinidad Guardian](/source/Trinidad_Guardian)'*s longest-running columnist and has freelanced for the UK *Guardian* and the [BBC](/source/BBC). In October 2021, she was appointed uncontested president of the Media Association of T&T (MATT) at its Annual General Meeting.[5] In 2021, Mathur was longlisted for the Bath Novel Award for her unpublished novel *Touching Dr Simone*.[6] In 2022, Mathur's memoir *Love the Dark Days* (published in 2022 by [Peepal Tree Press](/source/Peepal_Tree_Press)) won the 2023 [OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature](/source/OCM_Bocas_Prize_for_Caribbean_Literature) in the non-fiction category and was shortlisted for the overall prize.[7][8] Reviewed in *[The Observer](/source/The_Observer)*, it was described by [Bidisha](/source/Bidisha) as "a troubled and troubling book, a heady brew that stays with you",[9] and [Monique Roffey](/source/Monique_Roffey) called it a "blaze of a book".[6] *Love the Dark Days* was named as among the best biographies of 2022 by the UK *[Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*.[10] ## Awards - 1996: Media Excellence Awards Royal Bank/ Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago - Best Commentary (Print) - 2018: Second-prize winner of the Caribbean-based [Small Axe](/source/Small_Axe_Project) Literary Competition for short fiction (for her story "Poui").[11] - 2023: Non-fiction winner of the 2023 [OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature](/source/OCM_Bocas_Prize_for_Caribbean_Literature).[7] ## Bibliography - *Touching Dr Simone*, novel (2021) - *Love The Dark Days*, memoir (2022) ## References 1. Pires, BC (13 February 2023). ["Dark days"](https://newsday.co.tt/2023/02/13/dark-days/). *[Trinidad and Tobago Newsday](/source/Trinidad_and_Tobago_Newsday)* 1. ["Mathur comes of age...as journalist, writer in 'Ira's Room'"](https://www.guardian.co.tt/article/mathur-comes-of-ageas-journalist-writer-in-iras-room-6.2.1273184.fd4e9e85c0). *[Trinidad & Tobago Guardian](/source/Trinidad_%26_Tobago_Guardian)*. 10 January 2021. 1. Mathur, Ira (7 July 2022). ["Writing back: the irresistible rise of Trinidadian authors"](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/2022/07/07/writing-back-the-irresistible-rise-of-trinidadian-authors/). *[The Irish Times](/source/The_Irish_Times)* 1. [Ira Mathur](https://www.irasroom.org/) Biography. 1. Kong Soo, Charles (2 October 2021). ["New MATT executive appointed"](https://guardian.co.tt/news/new-matt-executive-appointed-6.2.1394082.89be179479). *[Trinidad & Tobago Guardian](/source/Trinidad_%26_Tobago_Guardian)*. Retrieved 13 December 2022. 1. ["Ira makes her debut with Love The Dark Days"](https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/ira-makes-her-debut-with-love-the-dark-days-6.2.1517257.96d9c6b991). *Trinidad & Tobago Guardian*. 10 July 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2026. 1. ["Announcing the 2023 OCM Bocas Prize category winners"](https://www.bocaslitfest.com/2023/04/02/2023-ocm-bocas-prize-shortlist/). *Bocas Lit Fest*. 2 April 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2025. 1. ["GML's Ira Mathur wins Bocas Prize for non-fiction"](https://www.guardian.co.tt/article/gmls-ira-mathur-wins-bocas-prize-for-nonfiction-6.2.1672185.d86262530e). *Trinidad & Tobago Guardian*. 2 April 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2025. 1. Bidisha (10 July 2022). ["Love the Dark Days by Ira Mathur review – heady memoir about family dysfunction in India"](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/jul/10/love-the-dark-days-by-ira-mathur-review-heady-memoir-about-family-dysfunction-in-india). *the Observer* 1. Sturges, Fiona (3 December 2022). ["The best memoirs and biographies of 2022"](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/dec/03/the-best-memoirs-and-biographies-of-2022). *The Guardian* 1. ["Congratulations to the 2018 Small Axe Literary Competition winners | sx live"](http://smallaxe.net/sxlive/congratulations-2018-small-axe-literary-competition-winners). *smallaxe.net*. 10 January 2019. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20201001131655/http://smallaxe.net/literarycompetition) 1 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 14 December 2022. ## External links - [Official website](https://www.irasroom.org/) - Melanie Abrahams, ["Interview with Ira Mathur"](http://www.renaissanceone.co.uk/blog2/2021/7/27/interview-with-ira-mathur), *Renaissance One*, 27 July 2021. - ["In Conversation: Ira Mathur & Monique Roffey"](https://granta.com/in-conversation-ira-mathur-monique-roffey/), *[Granta](/source/Granta)*, 14 October 2022. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ira Mathur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Mathur) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Mathur?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.