Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 45 (2024) Winner
Pico Iyer
ピコ・アイヤー
Pico Iyer
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1957-02-11 （Oxford, England）
- Nationality
- British
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Buddhism (influence/interest)
- Residence History
- Oxford, England → Santa Barbara, California, USA → Nara, Japan → Extensive travel and short-term stays (various countries)
Career
- Occupations
- essayist, novelist, travel writer, journalist, speaker
- Active Years
- 1980-
- Affiliations
- Time (magazine), Princeton University (Ferris Professor/Guest), Raffles Hotel (Writer-in-Residence)
- Influenced By
- Thomas Merton, Raghavan N. Iyer (father), The Dalai Lama (spiritual influence)
- Influenced
- contemporary travel writers, wide readership (influential among global migrants/expat communities)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eton College | — | King's Scholar (boarding school) | — | 在学期間不詳 | United Kingdom |
| Magdalen College, University of Oxford | Humanities | English Literature | 二重首席（congratulatory double first） | 在学期間不詳〜1978年 | United Kingdom |
| Harvard University | — | Literature | A.M.（文学修士相当） | 〜1980年 | United States |
| University of Oxford (MA) | — | — | MA (Oxbridge tradition) | 1982年取得 | United Kingdom |
Eton College
King's Scholar (boarding school)
Period:
在学期間不詳
Country:
United Kingdom
Attended as a King's Scholar
Magdalen College, University of Oxford
Humanities
/ English Literature
Degree:
二重首席（congratulatory double first）
Period:
在学期間不詳〜1978年
Year of Graduation:
1978
Country:
United Kingdom
Awarded a congratulatory double first in English literature
Harvard University
Literature
Degree:
A.M.（文学修士相当）
Period:
〜1980年
Year of Graduation:
1980
Country:
United States
Received an A.M. in literature
University of Oxford (MA)
Degree:
MA (Oxbridge tradition)
Period:
1982年取得
Year of Graduation:
1982
Country:
United Kingdom
Oxford MA conferred in line with university practice
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | recipient |
| 2005 | Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters | — | — | Chapman University | honorary degree |
| 2024 | Robert Kirsch Award (Los Angeles Times Book Prize) | — | — | Los Angeles Times | winner |
Guggenheim Fellowship
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
recipient
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
2005
Organization:
Chapman University
Result:
honorary degree
Robert Kirsch Award (Los Angeles Times Book Prize)
2024
Organization:
Los Angeles Times
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Video Night in Kathmandu
1988 travel writing / essaysA collection of essays reporting on cultural encounters in South and East Asia.
cross-cultural encounterstravelidentity
The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto
1991 memoir / travelA memoir reflecting on his relationship with his Japanese wife and life in Kyoto.
relationshipsJapanese cultureoutsider's perspective
The Global Soul: Jet Lag, Shopping Malls, and the Search for Home
2000 essays / cultural criticismEssays exploring notions of home and belonging in a world of constant travel and global mixing.
search for homeglobalizationmobility and dislocation
The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere
2014 essays / philosophyA short meditation on the value of stillness in a fast-moving world.
stillnessmeditationintrospection
Autumn Light: Season of Fire and Farewells
2019 memoir / essaysA reflective memoir about loss, change, and the seasons, set in Japan.
lossseasonsJapan
The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise
2023 travel writing / essaysEssays on searching for paradises and the nature of happiness across different places.
search for paradiseideas of happinesstravel
Aflame: Learning from Silence
2025 essays / spiritualityA 2025 collection of essays exploring lessons drawn from silence and stillness.
silencespiritual practiceinner exploration
Bibliography
- The Recovery of Innocence (1984)
- Video Night in Kathmandu (1988)
- The Lady and the Monk (1991)
- Falling Off the Map (1993)
- Cuba and the Night (1995)
- Tropical Classical (1997)
- The Global Soul (2000)
- Abandon: A Romance (2004)
- Sun After Dark (2004)
- The Open Road (2008)
- The Man Within My Head (2012)
- The Art of Stillness (2014)
- Autumn Light (2019)
- This Could be Home (2019)
- A Beginner's Guide to Japan (2020)
- The Half Known Life (2023)
- Aflame: Learning from Silence (2025)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- concise, observational essay stylereflective writing grounded in cultural comparisonblend of personal memoir and broad historical/social analysis
- Recurring Motifs
- airports / mobilitysolitude and stillnesshome and belongingcross-cultural intersections
Legacy
Pico Iyer is widely regarded for his essays and travel writing that probe notions of home and belonging in a globalized world. His TED talks, lectures, and visiting professorships have extended his influence beyond literary circles.
Quotes
-
“I am a multinational soul on a multinational globe on which more and more countries are as polyglot and restless as airports.”
Source: Harper's (1993 article) (1993)
Trivia
- Born in Oxford in 1957; son of philosopher Raghavan N. Iyer.
- Based in Nara, Japan since 1992.
- Family home in Santa Barbara was lost to a wildfire in 1990.
- Has delivered multiple popular TED talks.