Mohsin Hamid
Mohsin Hamid | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 23, 1971 Pakistan |
| Occupation(s) | Author, novelist, brand strategist |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Known for | Moth Smoke, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, Exit West, The Last White Man |
Mohsin Hamid (; born 23 July 1971) is a British Pakistani author, novelist, and brand strategist. His prominent publications include Moth Smoke (2000), The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007), How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia (2013), Exit West (2017), and The Last White Man (2022).
Early life and education
Hamid was born into a family with Punjabi and Kashmiri roots. During his early years, he lived in the United States while his father completed doctoral studies at Stanford University. Subsequently, the family relocated back to Lahore, where he attended the Lahore American School.
At age eighteen, Hamid returned to the United States and earned his A.B. degree summa cum laude from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in 1993. His senior thesis, titled "Sustainable Power: Integrated Resource Planning in Pakistan", was completed under the guidance of Robert H. Williams. While at Princeton, he studied with Joyce Carol Oates and Toni Morrison, crafting his initial novel during Morrison’s fiction workshop before heading back to Pakistan to further develop it.
He later obtained a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1997. Finding little fulfillment in corporate law, Hamid took a position as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company in New York City. He negotiated flexible hours to dedicate time to writing, which enabled him to finish his first novel, Moth Smoke.
Work
In 2001, Hamid relocated to London with plans for a brief stay but ended up remaining for eight years, becoming a UK citizen in 2006. By 2004, he had joined brand consultancy Wolff Olins, initially on a part-time basis to continue his literary pursuits. He eventually served as managing director of their London office and, in 2015, was appointed as the company’s inaugural Chief Storytelling Officer.
His first novel, Moth Smoke (2000), centers on a former banker in Lahore who turns to heroin addiction while also smoking marijuana. The book achieved cult popularity across Pakistan and India, was shortlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award, and was adapted into both a Pakistani television series and an Italian operetta. Its innovative narrative structure combined with contemporary South Asian themes established it as an important contribution to English-language fiction from the region.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007) narrates the story of a Pakistani man who abandons his American lifestyle following the events of 9/11. This work became an international bestseller, reaching number four on the New York Times Best Seller list, earning a spot on the Booker Prize shortlist, and being translated into more than twenty-five languages. The novel’s dramatic monologue style encourages readers to consider contrasting perspectives and demonstrates Hamid’s experimental approach to storytelling.
Published in 2013, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, excerpts of which appeared in The New Yorker and Granta, follows a protagonist’s journey from poverty to wealth in an unnamed Asian metropolis. Presented in the format of a self-help guide, it delves into themes of ambition amid rapid economic transformation. The New York Times described it as "deeply moving," further solidifying Hamid’s reputation for inventive literary techniques.
In addition to fiction, Hamid contributes essays on politics, art, and social topics such as Pakistan’s internal conflicts. His writings have been featured in prominent publications including TIME, The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. In recognition of his influence, Foreign Policy listed him among the world’s 100 Leading Global Thinkers in 2013.
Hamid’s fourth novel, Exit West (2017), explores themes of migration through the lens of a young couple’s relationship and was shortlisted for the 2017 Booker Prize.
Despite acclaim, some critics have taken issue with Hamid’s portrayal of Muslim identity, arguing that his work often links religious aspects predominantly with fundamentalism or terrorism.
Personal life
In 2009, Hamid relocated to Lahore with his wife Zahra and their daughter Dina. Presently, he divides his residence among Lahore, New York, and London. Hamid has characterized himself as a "mongrel" and regards his writing as a dialogue within a "divided man." He possesses citizenship in both the United Kingdom and Pakistan.
Novels
- Moth Smoke (2000)
- The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007)
- How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia (2013)
- Exit West (2017)
- The Last White Man (2022)
Short fiction
- Stories[lower-alpha 1]
| Title | Year | First published | Reprinted/collected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The face in the mirror | 2022 | Hamid, Mohsin (May 16, 2022). "The face in the mirror". The New Yorker. 98 (12): 60–67. |
Non-fiction
- Discontent and Its Civilisations: Despatches from Lahore, New York & London (2014)
Awards and honours
Hamid’s literary work has earned him a variety of prestigious awards. In 2013, he was recognized by Foreign Policy as one of their "100 Leading Global Thinkers." He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2018 and also received Pakistan's Sitara-i-Imtiaz that same year.
| Year | Work | Award/Honour | Result | Template:Refh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Moth Smoke | The New York Times Notable Book of the Year | Selection | |
| 2001 | Betty Trask Award | Winner | ||
| Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award | Shortlist | |||
| 2007 | The Reluctant Fundamentalist | Booker Prize | Shortlist | |
| New York Times Notable Book of the Year | Selection | |||
| 2008 | Ambassador Book Award of the English Speaking Union | Winner | ||
| Anisfield-Wolf Book Award | Winner | |||
| Arts Council England Decibel Award | Shortlist | |||
| Asian American Literary Award | Winner | |||
| Australia-Asia Literary Award | Shortlist | |||
| Commonwealth Writers Prize (Eurasia Region, Best Book) | Shortlist | |||
| Index on Censorship T R Fyvel Award | Nominee | |||
| James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction | Shortlist | |||
| South Bank Show Annual Award for Literature | Winner | |||
| 2009 | International Dublin Literary Award | Shortlist | ||
| Premio Speciale Dal Testo Allo Schermo | ||||
| 2013 | How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia | DSC Prize for South Asian Literature | Shortlist | |
| Tiziano Terzani International Literary Prize | Winner | |||
| 2014 | International Literature Award | Shortlist | ||
| 2017 | Exit West | Kirkus Prize | Shortlist | |
| Booker Prize | Shortlist | |||
| Neustadt International Prize for Literature | Shortlist | |||
| (New York Times Best Books of the Year) | (Top 10) | |||
| St. Francis College Literary Prize | (Shortlist) | |||
| 2018 | (Aspen Words Literary Prize) | (Winner) | ||
| (British Science Fiction Association Award) | (Shortlist) | |||
| (Dayton Literary Peace Prize) | (Shortlist) | |||
| (LA Times Book Prize) | (Winner) | |||
| (National Book Critics Circle Award) | (Shortlist) | |||
| (Rathbones Folio Prize) | (Shortlist) |
Additional sources
- article (Italian language). Retrieved 4 March 2007
- Houpt, S.: "Novelist by Night", The Globe and Mail, 1 April 2000
- Patel, V.: "A Call to Arms for Pakistan", Newsweek, 24 July 2000
External resources
- Official pages
- Official website of Mohsin Hamid
- Mohsin Hamid profile at Granta
- Mohsin Hamid on Holtzbrinck Publishers
- Mohsin Hamid at Penguin Books
- Interviews and conversations
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- 1971 births
- Living people
- Pakistani novelists
- British male novelists
- Pakistani expatriates in the United States
- British expatriates in the United States
- Harvard Law School alumni
- Princeton School of Public and International Affairs alumni
- Lahore American School alumni
- McKinsey & Company people
- Writers from Lahore
- Pakistani people of Kashmiri descent
- Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
- British writers of Pakistani descent
- 21st-century British novelists
- 21st-century Pakistani writers
- 21st-century British male writers
- Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz
- The New Yorker people
- Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature