Arab American Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 1 (2007) Winner
Hisham Matar
ヒシャム・マタール
Hisham Matar
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- New York City, U.S.
- Nationality
- Libya, United Kingdom
- Languages
- Arabic, English
- Residence History
- Tripoli, Libya → Cairo, Egypt → London, United Kingdom
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Essayist, Memoirist, Professor
- Active Years
- 2000-2025
- Affiliations
- Barnard College, Columbia University, Royal Society of Literature (Fellow)
- Memberships
- Royal Society of Literature
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goldsmiths, University of London | — | Architecture | — | — | United Kingdom |
Goldsmiths, University of London
Architecture
Country:
United Kingdom
Studied architecture; later pursued a career as a writer
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Man Booker Prize (shortlist) | In the Country of Men | — | The Booker Prize Foundation | shortlist |
| 2007 | Arab American Book Award | In the Country of Men | — | Arab American National Museum | winner |
| 2007 | Commonwealth Writers' Prize (Europe & South Asia) | In the Country of Men | — | Commonwealth Writers | winner |
| 2007 | Premio Gregor von Rezzori | In the Country of Men | — | Premio Gregor von Rezzori | winner |
| 2007 | Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize | In the Country of Men | — | Royal Society of Literature | winner |
| 2013 | Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature | — | — | Royal Society of Literature | elected |
| 2017 | Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography | The Return | — | Columbia University (Pulitzer Prize) | winner |
| 2024 | Orwell Prize for Political Fiction | My Friends | — | The Orwell Foundation | winner |
| 2025 | National Book Critics Circle Award (Fiction) | My Friends | — | National Book Critics Circle | winner |
Man Booker Prize (shortlist)
2006
Work:
In the Country of Men
Organization:
The Booker Prize Foundation
Result:
shortlist
Arab American Book Award
2007
Work:
In the Country of Men
Organization:
Arab American National Museum
Result:
winner
Commonwealth Writers' Prize (Europe & South Asia)
2007
Work:
In the Country of Men
Organization:
Commonwealth Writers
Result:
winner
Premio Gregor von Rezzori
2007
Work:
In the Country of Men
Organization:
Premio Gregor von Rezzori
Result:
winner
Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize
2007
Work:
In the Country of Men
Organization:
Royal Society of Literature
Result:
winner
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
2013
Organization:
Royal Society of Literature
Result:
elected
Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography
2017
Work:
The Return
Organization:
Columbia University (Pulitzer Prize)
Result:
winner
Orwell Prize for Political Fiction
2024
Work:
My Friends
Organization:
The Orwell Foundation
Result:
winner
National Book Critics Circle Award (Fiction)
2025
Work:
My Friends
Organization:
National Book Critics Circle
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Premi Flaiano (Flaiano Prizes)
1 appearances
-
Edition 0 (2007) Winner
Orwell Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 31 (2024) Winner
Works
Major Works
In the Country of Men
2006 FictionA novel set in 1970s Libya about coming-of-age amid political repression and family tensions, narrated from a boy's perspective.
OppressionLossComing of age
Anatomy of a Disappearance
2009 Fiction (elements of disappearance/mystery)A novel that explores memory, identity and political persecution through the story of a father's disappearance.
DisappearanceMemoryFamily
The Return
2016 MemoirA memoir recounting the author's search for his father, missing since 1990, examining personal loss and Libya's political violence.
LossFamilyHomeland
Il Libro di Dot
2017 Children's bookAn illustrated children's book, part of the author's wider creative output.
ImaginationFriendship
A Month in Siena
2019 Essay / ReflectionA short, reflective account of the author's stay in Siena, Italy, engaging with art and memory.
ArtMemoryTravel
My Friends
2024 FictionA novel about three Libyan exiles living in London, exploring friendship, political change and memory.
ExileFriendshipPolitics
Bibliography
- In the Country of Men (2006)
- Anatomy of a Disappearance (2009)
- The Return (2016)
- Il Libro di Dot (2017)
- A Month in Siena (2019)
- My Friends (2024)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Spare, elegiac and refined proseFrequent references to painting, architecture and music
- Recurring Motifs
- Loss and searchingExile and returnFather–son relationships
Legacy
Matar is internationally acclaimed for works addressing exile, loss and memory; his memoir The Return won the Pulitzer Prize, marking a significant contribution to contemporary anglophone literature.
Academic Societies
- Royal Society of Literature
In Popular Culture
- Appearances on C-SPAN and at literary events
Quotes
-
I start with very little: the more fragile, the better. The thread has to feel like it is about to snap.
Source: Hisham Matar, The O. Henry Prize Stories (excerpt) (2011)
Trivia
- Born in New York in 1970 (year known; exact date not public)
- His father, Jaballa Matar, was abducted in Cairo in 1990 and remains missing; this disappearance is a central subject in his memoir and activism
- Attended boarding school under a false identity and used the name 'Bob' in youth