Omair Ahmad is an Indian journalist and writer. His book ''Jimmy the Terrorist'' was shortlisted for the 2009

Man Asian Literary Prize The Man Asian Literary Prize was an annual literary award between 2007 and 2012, given to the best novel by an Asian writer, either written in English or translated into English, and published in the previous calendar year. It is awarded to writer ...

Biography

Ahmad was born in

Aligarh Aligarh (; formerly known as Allygarh, and Kol) is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Aligarh district, and lies northwest of state capital Lucknow and approximately southeast of the capita ...

, in 1974. He received his early education at international schools in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

and in Woodstock, Mussoorie

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. He has degrees in international politics from

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a public major research university located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties and r ...

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

and

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, and has worked as an analyst, a reporter and a political adviser in New Delhi, London and Washington. His published works include the novels ''Encounters'' and ''The Storyteller’s Tale''. The latter is set in India in the 18th century, right after the destruction of Delhi by

Ahmad Shah Durrani Ahmad Shāh Durrānī ( ps, احمد شاه دراني; prs, احمد شاه درانی), also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī (), was the founder of the Durrani Empire and is regarded as the founder of the modern Afghanistan. In July 1747, Ahm ...

. His novel ''Jimmy the Terrorist'' was shortlisted for the 2009

and went on to win the 2010

Vodafone Crossword Book Award The Crossword Book Award (formerly known as the Crossword Book Award (1998–2003), the Hutch Crossword Book Award (2004–07), the Vodafone Crossword Book Award (2008–10), the Economist Crossword Book Award (2011–13), Raymond & Crossword Bo ...

. He has also written a narrative history of

Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...

, titled ''The Kingdom at the Centre of the World: Journeys into Bhutan''. His most recent publication was a view on the Ayodhya verdict by the Supreme Court. It says - " In its own way, it is a judgement on the New India, an India where the Supreme Court has judged that reason has no place any longer. "

Bibliography

*'' The Kingdom at the Centre of the World: Journeys into Bhutan'' (Aleph, travel, 2013) *''Jimmy the Terrorist'' (Hamish Hamilton, Penguin India, novel, 2010) *''The Storyteller's Tale'' (Penguin India, novella, 2009) *''Sense Terra'' (Pages Editor, short stories, 2008) *''Encounters'' (Tara Press, novel, 2007)

References

External links

* http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-knife-hidden-in-the-sleeve/723306/ * https://web.archive.org/web/20110724150853/http://www.manasianliteraryprize.org/omair-ahmad/ * http://www.opendemocracy.net/author/omair-ahmad/ * http://jaipurliteraturefestival.org/omair-ahamad/ * http://www.literaturfestival.com/participants/authors/2011/omair-ahmad * https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/violence-has-been-rewarded-and-we-should-all-worry/ Living people Novelists from Uttar Pradesh People from Aligarh 21st-century Indian novelists 21st-century Indian short story writers Indian travel writers 1974 births {{india-writer-stub