Of trends and lesser-knowns.
At the stroke of midnight on August 14th, 1947, Islamic Republic of Pakistan was born. It’s been 67 years of independence which makes Pakistan a relatively new country. I’ve read and heard countless stories of how it all started, the struggle which seemed endless, and finally, the sweet, sweet taste of freedom.
Today, in celebration of my country’s independence, I want to talk about the writers who hail from Pakistan and primarily write in the English language. Since most are adult fiction than YA, I also hope to contribute to the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign. From being shortlisted for Man Booker Prize to Orange Prize for Fiction, these are the people and their novels which make me proud. Some I’ve read and some I plan to.
Bapsi Sidhwa is perhaps one of the most renowned authors of Pakistan. I first read her novel, An American Brat, in high school. She’s mostly recognized for Ice-Candy Man, a novel about the partition of the Indian Subcontinent which was later adapted into a movie titled, Earth 1947.
Mohammed Hanif made headlines when he wrote a A Case of Exploding Mangoes in 2008, a dark satire based on a 1988 plane crash which killed Pakistan’s military dictator, General Zia. I read it during my college years and found it to be a thoroughly engaging read. His second novel, Our Lady of Alice Bhatti, is a story of a Christian nurse working in a government-owned hospital in Karachi.
Kamila Shamsie has written five novels. I was blown away by her writing in Burnt Shadows, a story that spans generations beginning from Nagasaki in 1945 to Afghanistan after 9/11. Some of the novels she wrote are Kartography, Broken Verses, and the most recent, A God in Every Stone.
Recognized for his novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Mohsin Hamid is a widely recognized author. The Reluctant Fundamentalist follows the life of Changez after the 9/11 attacks. His two other novels are Moth Smoke and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia. Moreover, Discontent and its Civilizations is a collection of essays releasing next year.
A British Pakistani, Nadeem Aslam wrote two novels before he rose to fame in 2008 when The Wasted Vigil was published. Set in Afghanistan, The Wasted Vigil is a brutal story following three main characters. His other works include Season of the Rainbirds, Maps for Lost Lovers, and The Blind Man’s Garden.
Musharraf Ali Farooqi is a Pakistani Canadian author of The Story of a Widow and more recently, Between Clay and Dust which is a story about a famous wrestler past his prime and a well-known courtesan. He is also a translator and an illustrator for children’s books.
Daniyal Mueenuddin, an Asian American, is known for writing short stories. His book, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, a collection of short stories that link together, is about a large Pakistani landowning family.
Despite being born and bred mainly in the US, Nafisa Haji is a Pakistani author. She has written two novels; The Writing on my Forehead and The Sweetness of Tears. She is a well-received author of stories dealing with tragedy, turmoil, and emotion.
Based in London, Moni Mohsin debut novel, The End of Innocence, was about a dangerous love after which she immersed herself in writing satirical series titled The Diary of a Social Butterfly.
Sorayya Khan, daughter of a Pakistani father and a Dutch mother, moved to Pakistan as a child and is known for her Noor and Five Queen’s Road which is a historical novel set in old Lahore. She is currently working on her next novel.
It's still August 14th in Canada so Happy Pakistani Independence Day! I'm curious how you guys celebrate your day. With fireworks like we do in Canada and the US?
Anyways, this is a great feature! None of these are familiar to me (as can be said of most adult books), but I'd be curious about if you recommend any that you have read. I'm pretty sure I've read an interview with Musharraf Ali Farooqi in some Canadian news/media outlet!
Happy Independence Day — a day late! 😛 Even though I probably will never check out any of these authors, I love how you incorporated bookish things while celebrating your country's birth. Most of my local authors write in my country's native language (which I can barely understand), so there's no hope of me reading them at all. Plus, they write mostly about religious stuff, from what I've seen. Not really my thing.
I know I should focus on the stories themselves, but hoooolllyyyy mooolllyyyy do all Pakistani books have such GORGEOUS covers?! Seriously. I may not read them, but I want them. *grabby hands* Actually… there're a couple that sound pretty good, now that I think about it. A Case of Exploding Mangoes and Burnt Shadows sound interesting, since I do like modern history, most of the time.
Anywaysss, thanks for sharing, Sana! Haven't heard of any of these authors before, but I think my mom might appreciate them more than I did, so yay for more books to get her!
WOOOOOOOOT WOOOOOOT. Half Pakistani but WHO CARES.
All these covers are p to the r to the — I've forgotten how to spell pretty..10/10 for spelling. *pats self on back*
ANYWAY – I haven't read ANY of these and you're making me feel bad SANA STOP. *scurries to library*
Oh wow! This list is AWESOME. I wish people would talk more about diverse, international authors in the publishing world, but it seems like they mostly get ignored. When I have time, I will most certainly be looking these authors up. Thanks so much for sharing, Sana!
Thank you! We celebrate with lighting up the whole city. Lights are strung up on the official buildings such as the National Assembly, High Court, Governor House and such. We go on long drives, people blare music on the roads, and put flags in their car windows (dangerous, I know). There's a pretty very jovial vibe going around all day. However, it was only this year that the fireworks took place as the clock struck 12 o'clock.
I'd definitely recommend Kamila Shamsie's Burnt Shadows because it's so thought-provoking and full of emotions and Mohammed Hanif's A Case of Exploding Mangoes because of the satire which is brilliant.
There are hundreds of books in my native language and I've read only two so I definitely, officially suck more than you do because I know my native language which is Urdu. =(
Haha these are fantastic right? And some even have so many different editions and each of the edition is prettier than the other. I guess it might be because the publishers are mainly situated in the US, UK, Canada, and India, though.
I've read A Case of Exploding Mangoes and Burnt Shadows, both and whoa, so good.
Eeep, if your Mom ends up reading any, I'd be a pretty happy girl. =D
Haha I had NO idea you were half Pakistani.
So pretty, right? :heart eyes:
Heyyy, tell me if you end up reading any!
I've been thinking of continuing this as a country-themed #WeNeedDiverseBooks trend feature, let's see.
Yay, so happy that you'll be checking them out, Renae!