Mohsin Hamid facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mohsin Hamid محسن حامد
Born	(1971-07-23) 23 July 1971 (age 54) Lahore, Pakistan
Occupation	Novelist
Nationality	Pakistani British
Alma mater	Princeton University Harvard Law School
Period	2000–present
Genre	Literary fiction
Notable works	Moth Smoke The Reluctant Fundamentalist Exit West
Spouse	Zahra
Children	Dina, Vali

Mohsin Hamid (Urdu: محسن حامد; born 23 July 1971) is a talented British Pakistani novelist and writer. He is also a brand consultant. His well-known novels include Moth Smoke (published in 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

Mohsin Hamid was born into a family with roots in Punjab and Kashmir. He spent some of his childhood in the United States. From age 3 to 9, he lived there while his father, a university professor, studied at Stanford University. After that, his family moved back to Lahore, Pakistan, where he attended the Lahore American School.

When he was 18, Hamid returned to the United States for college. He graduated with high honors from Princeton University in 1993. At Princeton, he studied with famous writers like Joyce Carol Oates and Toni Morrison. He even wrote the first draft of his first novel in a writing class taught by Toni Morrison. After college, he went back to Pakistan to keep working on his book.

Later, Hamid attended Harvard Law School and finished in 1997. He found working in corporate law quite boring. To pay back his student loans, he worked as a consultant for a company called McKinsey & Company in New York City. He was allowed to take three months off each year to write. He used this time to finish his first novel, Moth Smoke.

Mohsin Hamid's Books and Writing

In the summer of 2001, Hamid moved to London. He planned to stay for only a year, but he ended up living there for eight years. He often returned to Pakistan to write. In 2006, he became a citizen of both the United Kingdom and Pakistan. In 2004, he started working for a brand consulting company called Wolff Olins. He worked only three days a week so he could have time to write. He later became a managing director and then the company's first Chief Storytelling Officer.

Moth Smoke: His First Novel

Hamid's first novel, Moth Smoke, was published in 2000. It quickly became very popular in Pakistan and India. The book was also a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award, which honors the best first novel in the US. It was even made into a television show in Pakistan and an operetta in Italy.

Moth Smoke had a unique way of telling its story. It used different voices and included scenes that felt like a trial. Critics thought it was a fresh and modern way to write English-language fiction from South Asia.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist: A Global Success

His second novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, came out in 2007. This book tells the story of a Pakistani man who leaves his successful life in America. This happens after a difficult relationship and the events of 9/11. The novel became a huge international bestseller, selling over a million copies. It reached No. 4 on the New York Times Best Seller list.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist was nominated for the prestigious Booker Prize. It also won several awards, including the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and the Asian American Literary Award. The book was translated into more than 25 languages. The Guardian newspaper even called it one of the most important books of that decade.

This novel also used an interesting writing style. The main character, a Pakistani man, speaks directly to an American listener throughout the book. The American listener never speaks back. Hamid mentioned that The Fall by Albert Camus inspired this style.

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia was released in March 2013. Like his other books, this novel also uses a unique style. It is told from the "you" perspective, as if the book is talking directly to the reader. It follows a boy's journey from a poor village to becoming a successful person in a modern city in "rising Asia." It also tells about his search for love.

The book is written like a self-help guide, which is a playful touch. However, it also deeply explores the desire for success and love during times of big economic and social changes. A reviewer for The New York Times called it "deeply moving." She said it showed that Hamid is "one of his generation's most inventive and gifted writers."

Exit West: A Story of Migration

Hamid's fourth novel, Exit West, was published in 2017. This story is about a young couple, Nadia and Saeed. It explores their relationship during a time when many people around the world are moving from their homes. This novel was also shortlisted for the 2017 Booker Prize.

Other Writings

Mohsin Hamid has also written articles about politics, art, literature, and travel. His writings have appeared in well-known publications like TIME, The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. In 2013, Foreign Policy magazine named him one of the world's 100 Leading Global Thinkers.

Personal Life

In 2009, Mohsin Hamid moved to Lahore with his wife, Zahra, and their daughter, Dina, who was born that year. He now divides his time between Pakistan and other countries, living in Lahore, New York, and London. Hamid has described himself as a "mongrel," meaning he has mixed backgrounds. He believes that writing a novel can be like a conversation a person has with themselves when they feel divided. He holds dual citizenship, being both a British and Pakistani citizen.

Awards and Recognition

Mohsin Hamid has received many awards and honors for his work. In 2013, Foreign Policy magazine recognized him as one of their "100 Leading Global Thinkers." In 2018, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He also received the Sitara-i-Imtiaz award in Pakistan, which is a high honor.

See also

In Spanish: Mohsin Hamid para niños