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Jamil Jan Kochai

ジャミール・ジャン・コチャイ

Jamil Jan Kochai

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1992 （Peshawar, Pakistan）
Nationality
Afghan-American
Languages
Pashto, Persian, English
Residence History
Peshawar, Pakistan (birth) → West Sacramento, California (raised) → Sacramento, California (residence)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Assistant Professor
Active Years
2014-
Affiliations
Princeton University (Assistant Professor)
Influenced By
Islamic literature, The Arabian Nights, Pashto folklore and oral storytelling

Education

California State University, Sacramento
College of Arts & Letters / Department of English
Degree: BA
Period: 2010–2014
Year of Graduation: 2014
Country: United States
Bachelor's degree in English
University of California, Davis
Graduate Program (Creative Writing) / Creative Writing
Degree: MFA
Period: 2016–2017
Year of Graduation: 2017
Country: United States
Master's degree in Creative Writing (Fiction)
Iowa Writers' Workshop (University of Iowa)
Graduate Program (Creative Writing) / Creative Writing
Degree: MFA
Period: 2017–2019
Year of Graduation: 2019
Country: United States
Truman Capote Fellowship recipient

Awards

John C. Zacharis First Book Award
2021
Work: 99 Nights in Logar
Organization: Ploughshares
Result: Winner
PEN/Hemingway Award (Debut Novel) finalist
2020
Work: 99 Nights in Logar
Category: Debut Novel
Organization: PEN America
Result: Finalist
DSC Prize for South Asian Literature
2019
Work: 99 Nights in Logar
Organization: DSC Prize
Result: Shortlisted
O. Henry Award
Organization: O. Henry Prize Stories
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

O. Henry Award 1 appearances
  1. Edition 101 (2023) Winner
    Work: The Haunting of Hajji Hotak

    "The Haunting of Hajji Hotak" is a short story selected for the O. Henry Prize 2023 anthology. In a compact sequence of scenes, it captures shifts in relationships and emotional tension.

    A sharp short story included in the O. Henry Prize 2023 anthology.

    short storyrelationshipsemotional tension

Works

Major Works

99 Nights in Logar

2019 Novel (Fiction) 320 pages

A novel set around Afghanistan employing stories-within-stories; it follows coming-of-age themes, family ties, violence and humor through a layered narrative.

coming of agediasporastorytellingidentitywar and everyday life

The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories

2022 Short story collection 256 pages

A collection of short stories where personal narratives intersect with political contexts; the pieces mix humor and uncanny elements.

intersection of personal and politicalmemorymovement and belongingfolkloric motifs

Playing Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

2020 Short story (magazine)

A story inspired by a video game, published in The New Yorker; it links gaming culture with personal experience.

boundaries between game and realityalienation

Bibliography

  • 99 Nights in Logar (2019)
  • The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories (2022)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
uses stories-within-stories structurea voice mixing humor and the surrealoral-storytelling rhythm
Recurring Motifs
recollection and retellingmovement and belongingfolkloric elementsreferences to religious texts

Legacy

Kochai is regarded as an emerging writer of the Afghan diaspora, praised for his distinctive narrative voice and humor. He represents a new generation in both literary and academic spheres.

Quotes

  • "funny" and "razor-sharp"
    Source: Dina Nayeri (The New York Times Book Review) (2019)

Trivia

  • Part of 99 Nights in Logar appears in Pashto without translation.
  • Served as a Truman Capote Fellow while at the Iowa Writers' Workshop.