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Author Mohsin Hamid Speaks At Summer Words

Aspen Words

Mohsin Hamid is the author of the bestselling novel "Exit West," which follows a young couple who flees an unnamed war-torn country and tries to resettle in a new home. Earlier this year, the book won Aspen Words’ first literary prize. Hamid will discuss his work Tuesday evening in Aspen for Aspen Words’ Summer Words.

 

Hamid said he hopes his readers will connect with the desperation of people forced to migrate away from their home countries.  

"Instead of telling us, here is a story about what happens to those people over there, fiction allows us to imagine what it would feel like if this were us," Hamid said.  

Hamid lives in Lahore, Pakistan, but spent long parts of his childhood in the U.S.  He feels he’s coming home to what he calls "a family” when he returns to the U.S. However, the political climate and the travel ban on many Muslim countries has led to a palpable change.

"What’s been challenging for me is how I encounter the sense that my family may not necessarily think of me as part of the family anymore," he said.  

Actress Iris Beaumier will perform several readings from “Exit West” throughout Hamid’s conversation with Aspen Institute president and CEO Dan Porterfield Tuesday evening at the Hotel Jerome.  

 

Contributor Christin Kay is passionate about the rich variety of arts, cultural experiences and stories in the Roaring Fork Valley. She has been a devotee of public radio her whole life. Christin is a veteran of Aspen Public Radio, serving as producer, reporter and interim news director.
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