Pakistani literature
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Mohsin Hamid's "The Last White Man"The (familiar) stranger in the mirror
In his latest novel, award-winning Pakistani-British author Mohsin Hamid asks what would happen if a white man woke up one morning to find he was dark-skinned. A masterfully written Kafkaesque parable about everyday racism and discrimination. Volker Kaminski read the book
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Islam in PakistanThe land of the Sufis
No country in the Islamic world is influenced as strongly by the traditions of Sufi culture as Pakistan. Yet the Sufis there have been under attack from Islamic hardliners for years. By Marian Brehmer
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Book review: Bina Shah's "Before She Sleeps"A bleak future scenario
In "Before She Sleeps", which is set in the Muslim world of the twenty-second century, the Pakistani writer Bina Shah takes us on a dystopian journey into a future that may not be all that distant, where women attempt to take a stand against male domination. By Claudia Kramatschek
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Pakistani crime writer Omar Shahid HamidA nexus of crime
Whatever the reason for Pakistan′s biggest city not being chosen more often as the setting of great crime fiction, it cannot be for a lack of material. The suspense-packed Karachi novels by former anti-terrorism cop Omar Shahid Hamid mesmerise and disturb at the same time, revealing a complex web of relationships, where ″justice″ becomes a highly relative notion. Thomas Baerthlein met the author in London, where he currently lives and works
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″The Diary of a Hounslow Girl″Bursting the bubble
British Pakistani actress, playwright and comedian Ambreen Razia is currently touring the UK with her acclaimed one-woman play ″The Diary of a Hounslow Girl″. In it, 16-year-old Shaheeda talks non-stop about running away, her mother who does not understand her, a fight with her friend on the bus and a messed-up Pakistani wedding. Ambreen Razia spoke to Thomas Baerthlein about being a Muslim girl growing up in London, the struggle with ″British identity″ and the importance of Sadiq Khan′s election as Mayor of London
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Interview with Nadeem AslamShadows of the past
"The Blind Man's Garden" is the fourth novel to be published by the British–Pakistani author Nadeem Aslam. In this book, he returns to the days, weeks and months immediately following 9/11 and relates them from the perspective of a Pakistani family that is subsequently drawn into the ensuing war in Afghanistan. Claudia Kramatschek spoke to Aslam about his new novel
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Interview with the Pakistani Writer Mohsin Hamid"The Markets Have Taken the Commons Over"
Mohsin Hamid's new novel tells the tale of a man's journey from impoverished rural boy to corporate tycoon. In this interview with Claudia Kramatschek, he talks about universality, his belief in the city, and how commodities like water have become an object of speculation
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Interview with Mohammed HanifThe Joys and Struggles of Everyday Life
Mohammed Hanif's first novel, A case of exploding mangoes, was a critically acclaimed success. Claudia Kramatschek met the author and spoke to him about Pakistan, minorities and his most recent novel, Our Lady of Alice Bhatti
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Third Karachi Literature FestivalLong on Talent, Short on Time
Despite ongoing political difficulties in Pakistan, a thrilling but all-too-brief literature festival took place on 11 and 12 February in the nation's largest metropolis. Impressions from Karachi by Stefan Weidner
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Tariq Ali: ''The Night of the Golden Butterfly''Shimmering Prose against the Clash of Civilisations
Tariq Ali has written a multi-faceted picaresque novel about Pakistan and the West. In "The Night of the Golden Butterfly", the Pakistani-British intellectual lays bare the cynical bigotries of both the western and the Muslim world, writes Claudia Kramatschek
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Mohsin HamidThe Reluctant Fundamentalist
A young Pakistani goes to America, becomes caught up in the events of September 11, and then returns to Pakistan to organize anti-American protests. This is the storyline of Mohsin Hamid's new novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist. By Claudia Kramatschek