Gita Wolf

Gita Wolf was born in Calcutta but educated in different cities in India, including New Delhi, Hyderabad, and Bangalore. She received her Masters in Comparative Literature from the University of Erlangen / Nuerenberg, Germany. She left her academic profession to explore her interests in visual and literary communications.

She started Tara Books in 1994, as an independent publishing house based in Chennai, India. The publishing house, run as a collective, creates its own books, as well as collaborating with a range of unusual talents, from signboard painters to tribal and textile artists. A highly original and creative voice in contemporary Indian publishing, Gita continues to pursue her interest in exploring and experimenting with the form of the book and its status as a revered cultural object.

Beginning with The Very Hungry Lion in 1995, she has written over 25 books for children and adults. Several have won major international awards and been translated into multiple languages. Her book, Do! was honoured with the prestigious BolognaRagazzi New Horizons award. Another title, Gobble You Up! went on to win the Aesop award.  

In 2021 she moved to the countryside near Pondicherry in South India, to start an organic farm. She continues to work remotely with Tara Books. Seed, her latest book, brings together her experience as a farmer and a publisher. 

In 2024, Gita was awarded an Honorary Professorship from the University of Norwich, UK, for her contribution to Publishing and Chilldren’s Literature.