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Tahmima Anam

タフミマ・アナム

Tahmima Anam

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1975-10-08 （Dhaka, Bangladesh）
Nationality
British
Languages
English
Religion
Islam
Residence History
Dhaka (born) → Paris → New York → Bangkok → London

Career

Occupations
Writer, Novelist, Columnist
Active Years
2007-
Influenced By
Sylvia Plath, Abul Mansur Ahmed (grandfather), Mahfuz Anam (father)

Education

Mount Holyoke College
Degree: BA
Period: 1993–1997
Year of Graduation: 1997
Country: United States
Entered on scholarship
Harvard University
Anthropology
Degree: PhD
Period: 2001–2005
Year of Graduation: 2005
Country: United States
PhD thesis: "Fixing the Past: War, Violence, and Habitations of Memory in Post-Independence Bangladesh"
Royal Holloway, University of London
Creative Writing
Degree: MA
Country: United Kingdom
Completed MA in Creative Writing

Awards

Commonwealth Writers' Prize — Best First Book
2008
Work: A Golden Age
Category: Best First Book
Organization: Commonwealth Writers
Result: winner
Man Asian Literary Prize
2011
Work: The Good Muslim
Organization: Man Asian Literary Prize
Result: nominated
O. Henry Award
2017
Work: Short story "Garments"
Organization: O. Henry Prize
Result: winner
Granta Best of Young British Novelists
2013
Organization: Granta
Result: selected
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
2017
Organization: Royal Society of Literature
Result: elected

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

A Golden Age

2007 Historical fiction / Family

Set during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, the novel follows Rehana Haque and her family as they navigate loss and resilience; informed by the author's family history and research into memories of war.

Liberation warFamilyMemorySacrifice

The Good Muslim

2011 Social novel / Sequel

A sequel to A Golden Age, exploring postwar Bangladeshi society and how religious and political changes affect family bonds.

Religion vs. secularismPostwar reconstructionFamily conflict

The Bones of Grace

2016 Literary fiction / Final book of trilogy

The concluding novel of the Bangladesh trilogy, an international story about identity, movement, love, and memory as the protagonist's life and family history intersect.

IdentityMigrationMemory

The Startup Wife

2021 Contemporary fiction / Satire

A contemporary novel about startups, gender, careers, and marriage, satirizing tech culture and personal ambition.

Technology cultureGenderMarriage and career

Bibliography

  • A Golden Age (2007)
  • The Good Muslim (2011)
  • The Bones of Grace (2016)
  • The Startup Wife (2021)
  • Short story "Saving the World" (Granta, 2008)
  • Short story "Anwar Gets Everything" (Granta, 2013)
  • Short story "Garments" (Freeman's, 2015)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Interweaving history and personal memoryClear, emotionally resonant proseSensitive treatment of social and political issues
Recurring Motifs
War and memoryFamily bonds and conflictIdentity and migration experience

Legacy

Tahmima Anam is internationally recognized for novels that link Bangladeshi history and personal memory. Recognized as one of the leading young British novelists of her generation, she has influenced contemporary English-language literature through awards and selections.

Academic Societies

  • Royal Society of Literature (Fellow)

In Popular Culture

  • A Golden Age selected for the Queen's jubilee book list

Quotes

  • "A lot of my feminist rage was born when I read The Bell Jar."
    Source: The Guardian (interview) (2022)

Trivia

  • Daughter of journalist Mahfuz Anam and granddaughter of Abul Mansur Ahmed.
  • Married Roland O. Lamb in 2010; has a son named Rumi.
  • Grew up in Paris, New York and Bangkok.
  • Won the O. Henry Award for the short story "Garments".