Mohammed Hanif
British Pakistani writer and journalist (born 1965)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mohammed Hanif (born November 1964) is a British-Pakistani writer and journalist.[2] His work has been published by The New York Times,[3][4] The Daily Telegraph,[5] The New Yorker[6] and The Washington Post. Hanif worked as a correspondent for the BBC News based in Karachi and was the writer of a feature film about the city, The Long Night.[7][8][9] Hanif has written four novels,[10] A Case of Exploding Mangoes.[11],Our Lady of Alice Bhatti, Red Birds[12], and Rebel English Academy[13] as well as a play, The Dictator's Wife, which was staged at the Hampstead Theatre.[14]
Pakistan 
United KingdomMohammed Hanif | |
|---|---|
Hanif Mohammed Koeln | |
| Born | November 1964 (age 61) |
| Occupation | Writer, journalist |
| Nationality | Pakistan United Kingdom |
| Alma mater | University of East Anglia, Pakistan Air Force Academy |
| Period | 2008–present |
| Notable works | A Case of Exploding Mangoes |
| Notable awards | Wellcome Book Prize, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, Commonwealth Prize for Best Book |
| Spouse | Nimra Bucha[1] |
Life
He was born in Okara, Punjab. He graduated from Pakistan Air Force Academy as a pilot officer, but subsequently left to pursue a career in journalism.[15] He initially worked for Newsline and wrote for The Washington Post and India Today. He is a graduate of the University of East Anglia.[16] In 1996, he moved to London to work for the BBC. Later, he became the head of the BBC's Urdu service in London.[16] He moved back to Pakistan in 2008.[17]
Works
His first novel A Case of Exploding Mangoes (2008) was shortlisted for the 2008 Guardian First Book Award[18] and longlisted for the 2008 Man Booker Prize.[19]It won the 2009 Commonwealth Book Prize in the Best First Book category[20] and the 2008 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize.[21] It also won Corine Literature Prize in 2009.[22]
Hanif has also written for the stage and screen, including a feature film, The Long Night (2002),[9] a BBC radio play, What Now, Now That We Are Dead?, and the stage play The Dictator's Wife (2008).[23] His second novel, Our Lady of Alice Bhatti, was published in 2011.[24] It was shortlisted for the Wellcome Trust Book Prize (2012),[25] and the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature (2013).[26]In 2018, Hanif was honored with Sitara-e-Imtiaz.[27]
He is currently collaborating with composer Mohammed Fairouz on an opera titled Bhutto.[28]
In 2018, he wrote a novel called Red Birds.[29]
Hanif's style has often been compared with that of the author Salman Rushdie, although Hanif himself disagrees with this assessment. Once, to a question if he had grown up wanting to be a writer like Salman Rushdie, he said that while "[e]verybody of a certain age wanted to write like Rushdie and so did I", he would not want being "hunted around the world."[30]
Awards and honors
| Year | Work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | A Case of Exploding Mangoes | Guardian First Book Award | Shortlist | [18] |
| 2008 | Man Booker Prize | Longlist | [31] | |
| 2008 | Shakti Bhatt Prize First Book Prize | Winner | [32] | |
| 2009 | Commonwealth Book Prize (Best First Book) | Winner | [33] | |
| 2009 | Corine Literature Prize | Winner | [34] | |
| 2012 | Our Lady of Alice Bhatti | Wellcome Trust Book Prize | Shortlist | [35] |
| 2013 | DSC Prize for South Asian Literature | Winner | [36] |
Award Return
In opposition to Pakistan's ongoing persecution of the Baloch people and police crackdown during a protest march in Islamabad on 20 December 2023, Mohammed Hanif has returned his "Sitara-e-Imtiaz" award.[37]
Bibliography
Films
- The Long Night (Script) (2002)
Books
Plays
- What Now, Now That We Are Dead? (radio play)
- The Dictator's Wife (2008)
Personal life
Hanif is married to the actress Nimra Bucha.[1]
