Asian American Literary Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 4 (2001) Winner
Akhil Sharma
アキル・シャルマ
Akhil Sharma
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1971-07-22 （Delhi, India）
- Nationality
- Indian, American
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Delhi (birthplace) → Edison, New Jersey (grew up) → New York (based)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Professor (Creative Writing)
- Active Years
- 1990-
- Affiliations
- Rutgers University–Newark (faculty)
- Influenced By
- Russell Banks, Toni Morrison, Joyce Carol Oates, Paul Auster, John McPhee, Tony Kushner
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. P. Stevens High School | — | — | — | — | United States |
| Princeton University | Woodrow Wilson School (Public Policy) | Public Policy | B.A. | — | United States |
| Stanford University (Stegner Fellowship) | — | — | — | — | United States |
J. P. Stevens High School
Country:
United States
High school in Edison, where he grew up
Princeton University
Woodrow Wilson School (Public Policy)
/ Public Policy
Degree:
B.A.
Country:
United States
Studied public policy; studied under several notable writers
Stanford University (Stegner Fellowship)
Country:
United States
Awarded a Stegner Fellowship; attended Stanford writing program
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award (for Debut Novel) | An Obedient Father | — | PEN/America | winner |
| 2001 | Whiting Award | An Obedient Father | — | Whiting Foundation | winner |
| 2015 | Folio Prize (The Writers' Prize) | Family Life | — | Folio Prize | winner |
| 2016 | International Dublin Literary Award | Family Life | — | International Dublin Literary Award | winner |
| 2016 | DSC Prize for South Asian Literature | Family Life | — | DSC Prize | shortlist |
| 2014 | New York Magazine Ten Best Books | Family Life | — | New York Magazine | selection |
| 2014 | New York Times Ten Best Books | Family Life | — | The New York Times | selection |
Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award (for Debut Novel)
2001
Work:
An Obedient Father
Organization:
PEN/America
Result:
winner
Whiting Award
2001
Work:
An Obedient Father
Organization:
Whiting Foundation
Result:
winner
Folio Prize (The Writers' Prize)
2015
Work:
Family Life
Organization:
Folio Prize
Result:
winner
International Dublin Literary Award
2016
Work:
Family Life
Organization:
International Dublin Literary Award
Result:
winner
DSC Prize for South Asian Literature
2016
Work:
Family Life
Organization:
DSC Prize
Result:
shortlist
New York Magazine Ten Best Books
2014
Work:
Family Life
Organization:
New York Magazine
Result:
selection
New York Times Ten Best Books
2014
Work:
Family Life
Organization:
The New York Times
Result:
selection
Awards & Nominations
PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel
1 appearances
-
Edition 26 (2001) Winner
Whiting Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 17 (2001) Winner
International Dublin Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 21 (2016) Winner
Works
Major Works
An Obedient Father
2000 NovelA novel set in India that explores power, guilt and fraught family relationships through dark humor and moral complexity.
PowerGuiltFamily
Family Life
2014 Novel (semi-autobiographical)A semi-autobiographical novel based on the author's family: the long coma of his brother after a pool accident and the family's resulting grief, trauma, and immigrant experience.
LossTraumaImmigrant experienceFamily complexity
A Life of Adventure and Delight (short stories)
2017 Short story collectionA collection of short stories, many originally published in The New Yorker, dealing with family, daily dislocation, immigrant experience and personal memory.
FamilyMemoryImmigration
Bibliography
- An Obedient Father — 2000
- Family Life — 2014
- A Life of Adventure and Delight (short stories) — 2017
Adaptations
- Film adaptation of the short story "Cosmopolitan" (2003)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Concise, restrained proseSharp characterisationBlend of feeling and dark humor
- Recurring Motifs
- Family ruptureIsolation of immigrant lifeLoss and atonement
Legacy
Recognized for deep portrayals of immigrant experience and family trauma; winner of international literary prizes and regarded as a distinctive contemporary voice in American literature.
In Popular Culture
- A short film based on the short story "Cosmopolitan" was produced and featured on PBS.
Quotes
-
"I feel as if I've shattered my youth on this book."
Source: The Guardian (interview) (2014)
Trivia
- Immigrated from India to the U.S. at age eight.
- His brother's pool accident and long coma provided the basis for the novel Family Life.
- Has said it took about 13 years to write Family Life.
- Short story "Cosmopolitan" was adapted into a short film featured on PBS.
- Has served as a creative writing professor at Rutgers University–Newark.