Pulitzer Prize for Drama
1 appearances
-
Edition 82 (2013) Winner
Ayad Akhtar
アヤド・アクタール
Ayad Akhtar
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1970-10-28 （Staten Island, New York, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Islam
- Residence History
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. (raised) → New York City, New York, U.S.
Career
- Occupations
- Playwright, Novelist, Screenwriter, Actor
- Active Years
- 2002-
- Memberships
- PEN America (President)
- Influenced By
- Jerzy Grotowski, Andre Gregory
- Influenced
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown University | Theater and Religion (major) | — | BA | — | United States |
| Columbia University School of the Arts | Film Directing (MFA) | — | MFA | — | United States |
Brown University
Theater and Religion (major)
Degree:
BA
Country:
United States
Acted in and directed student plays
Columbia University School of the Arts
Film Directing (MFA)
Degree:
MFA
Country:
United States
Master of Fine Arts in film directing
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Pulitzer Prize for Drama | Disgraced | — | Pulitzer Prize Board | Won |
| 2013 | Obie Award | Disgraced | Best Playwriting | Obie Awards | Won |
| 2015 | Tony Award for Best Play | Disgraced | Best Play | American Theatre Wing / Tony Awards | Nominated |
| 2018 | Tony Award for Best Play | Junk | Best Play | American Theatre Wing / Tony Awards | Nominated |
| 2017 | Steinberg Playwright Award | — | — | Steinberg Foundation | Won |
| 2017 | Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama | Junk | — | Edward M. Kennedy Prize | Won |
| 2021 | American Book Award | Homeland Elegies | — | Before Columbus Foundation (American Book Awards) | Won |
Pulitzer Prize for Drama
2013
Work:
Disgraced
Organization:
Pulitzer Prize Board
Result:
Won
Obie Award
2013
Work:
Disgraced
Category:
Best Playwriting
Organization:
Obie Awards
Result:
Won
Tony Award for Best Play
2015
Work:
Disgraced
Category:
Best Play
Organization:
American Theatre Wing / Tony Awards
Result:
Nominated
Tony Award for Best Play
2018
Work:
Junk
Category:
Best Play
Organization:
American Theatre Wing / Tony Awards
Result:
Nominated
Steinberg Playwright Award
2017
Organization:
Steinberg Foundation
Result:
Won
Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama
2017
Work:
Junk
Organization:
Edward M. Kennedy Prize
Result:
Won
American Book Award
2021
Work:
Homeland Elegies
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation (American Book Awards)
Result:
Won
Awards & Nominations
American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 42 (2021) Winner
Works
Major Works
American Dervish
2012 Novel (coming-of-age)A coming-of-age novel about a Pakistani-American boy growing up in Milwaukee, exploring religion, family, and identity.
Immigrant experienceReligion and faithIdentity
Disgraced
2012 Play (drama)A drama that examines religion, race, and assimilation in America through escalating tensions among a group of characters.
American-Muslim experienceRacismIdentity
Adaptations
- [Theatre (productions)] Disgraced
Translations
- Arabic translation 'Al-Makhzi'
The Invisible Hand
2014 Play (political/economic drama)A tense play about a kidnapped stock trader in Pakistan that interrogates global economics and moral dilemmas.
EconomicsEthicsGlobalization
Junk: The Golden Age of Debt
2016 Play (historical/economic drama)A large-scale play about 1980s Wall Street exploring power, ethics, and the excesses of finance.
Financial historyPower and ethicsCritique of capitalism
Homeland Elegies
2020 Novel (fiction blended with memoir)A book blending fact and fiction about belonging and dispossession in post-9/11 America, drawn from the author's life.
Belonging and dispossessionAmerican sociopoliticsImmigration and identity
Adaptations
- [Television (limited series, in development)] Homeland Elegies / Oren Moverman
McNeal
2024 Play (AI ethics)A contemporary play about artificial intelligence and the ethics of creativity; notable Broadway production.
Artificial intelligenceEthics of creationTechnology and humanity
Bibliography
- American Dervish (2012)
- Homeland Elegies (2020)
- Disgraced (play, 2013)
- The Who & The What (play, 2014)
- The Invisible Hand (play, 2015)
- Junk: The Golden Age of Debt (play, 2016)
- McNeal (play, 2024)
Adaptations
- Television adaptation of Homeland Elegies (in development, starring Kumail Nanjiani)
- The War Within (2005) - co-writer and actor
Translations of Works
- Arabic translation of Disgraced 'Al-Makhzi'
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Contemporary theatrical realismSharp observations on politics and economicsBlending personal experience with public issues
- Recurring Motifs
- Immigrant experience and assimilationConflicts of religion and faithClash of economics and ethicsIdentity and belonging
Legacy
Ayad Akhtar has made a significant mark on 21st-century American theatre and literature, particularly for works addressing the American-Muslim experience and questions of economics and ethics. With a Pulitzer Prize and multiple Tony nominations, he is recognized as a writer who provokes contemporary social dialogue.
Academic Societies
- American Academy of Arts and Letters (awardee)
Archives
- Library of Congress holdings (catalog records)
In Popular Culture
- Television adaptation of Homeland Elegies in development, starring Kumail Nanjiani
- Appeared as an actor in HBO's Too Big to Fail
Quotes
-
The theater is an art form scaled to the human, and stubbornly so... The act of gathering to witness the myths of our alleged origins enacted — this is the root of the theater's timeless magic.
Source: Acceptance speech for the Steinberg Playwright Award (published in The New York Times) (2017)
Trivia
- Served as president of PEN America from 2020 to 2023.
- Won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for 'Disgraced'.
- Co-wrote and acted in the 2005 film 'The War Within'.
- 'Homeland Elegies' was widely named among the best books of 2020 and won the 2021 American Book Award.