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Nadeem Aslam

ナディーム・アスラム

Nadeem Aslam

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1966 （Gujranwala, Pakistan）
Nationality
Pakistani, British
Languages
English, Urdu
Residence History
Gujranwala (birth) → Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom (after migration)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Novelist, Essayist
Active Years
1993-
Memberships
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
Influenced By
Vasko Popa, Ivan V. Lalić, Czesław Miłosz, Wisława Szymborska, Herman Melville, John Berger, V. S. Naipaul, Michael Ondaatje, Bruno Schulz
Nominations
Man Booker Prize longlist (Maps for Lost Lovers, 2004), International Dublin Literary Award shortlist (Maps for Lost Lovers, 2006), Ondaatje Prize shortlist (The Blind Man's Garden, 2014), Jhalak Prize shortlist (The Golden Legend, 2018), DSC Prize for South Asian Literature shortlist (The Blind Man's Garden, 2014)

Education

University of Manchester
Biochemistry (dropped out)
Country: United Kingdom
Left in third year to pursue writing

Awards

Betty Trask Award
1994
Work: Season of the Rainbirds
Organization: Betty Trask Award committee
Result: Winner
Authors' Club First Novel Award
1993
Work: Season of the Rainbirds
Organization: Authors' Club
Result: Winner
Encore Award
2005
Work: Maps for Lost Lovers
Organization: Encore Award committee
Result: Winner
Kiriyama Prize
2005
Work: Maps for Lost Lovers
Organization: Kiriyama Prize committee
Result: Winner
Windham–Campbell Literature Prize
2014
Category: Fiction
Organization: Windham–Campbell Prize (Yale/Literary Foundation)
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Season of the Rainbirds

1993 Novel

A debut novel set in rural Pakistan exploring family, tradition and the impact of violence.

familytraditionviolence

Maps for Lost Lovers

2004 Novel

Set in a Pakistani immigrant community in northern England, the novel examines love, loss and cultural/religious tensions.

immigrationreligioncommunityloss

The Wasted Vigil

2008 Novel

Set in Afghanistan, the novel explores war, personal loss and complex human relationships.

warlossforgiveness

The Blind Man's Garden

2013 Novel

Set in western Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan, it is a family and love story against the backdrop of post-9/11 conflict, with elements inspired by Punjabi romance traditions.

warfamilylovetradition

The Golden Legend

2017 Novel

A novel that contrasts violence and hope, telling stories of people torn apart by political and religious tensions in contemporary society.

politicsreligionviolencehope

Bibliography

  • Season of the Rainbirds (1993)
  • Maps for Lost Lovers (2004)
  • The Wasted Vigil (2008)
  • Leila in the Wilderness (short story, Granta 112, 2010)
  • The Blind Man's Garden (2013)
  • The Golden Legend (2017)
  • Punnu's Jihad (published in Granta)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Lyrical, image-rich proseBlend of realism and postcolonial perspectiveDetailed description with restrained tone
Recurring Motifs
migration and exileloss and memoryconflict of religion and beliefnostalgia and family ties

Legacy

Nadeem Aslam is internationally recognized for his lyrical prose and deep insight into themes of migration, war and religion. He has won multiple literary awards and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Academic Societies

  • Royal Society of Literature

Quotes

  • "One of the most exciting and serious British novelists writing now."
    Source: Colm Tóibín (comment)

Trivia

  • Prefers to write first drafts longhand.
  • Moved from Pakistan to the UK at age 14 with his family.
  • Reportedly published a short story in Urdu in a Pakistani newspaper at age 13 (citation needed).
  • Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2012.