Jamil Ahmad's The Wandering Falcon has been shortlisted for the prestigious Man Asian Literary Prize 2011. The winner will be announced in March. Congrats to Jamil Ahmad! To read more about the prize...
“[Y]ou instantly care so much about that boy and his fate that you can hardly stand to stop reading. The early chapters are reminiscent of masterpieces like Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, which also features a boy alone in a gorgeous but harsh and often terrifying desert landscape…. [T]he characters, the tales, and the landscape are rendered with clarity, sympathy, and insight. The author makes us travel with him.... The book offers a rich picture of the "mountainous, lawless tribal areas" we have previously known mainly for bullets and bombs.” Read more...
Publishers Weekly picks three Riverhead titles for their end of year Best Books of 2011 list. Jamil Ahmad's "captivating wonder" of a novel, The Wandering Falcon, Meghan O'Rourke's "eloquent" memoir, The Long Goodbye, and Jon Ronson's "droll, disturbing, and unforgettable" The Psychopath Test, all make the list. To see the entire list, click here.
"The tribal areas of northwest Pakistan may remain as shrouded as its women, but Mr. Ahmad offers a glimpse at the way of life there.... Mr. Ahmad’s deep understanding of his characters shows what a powerful truth teller fiction can be." Read more...
Alan Cheuse reviewed The Wandering Falcon by 80-year-old debut fiction author, Jamil Ahmad:
“[P]artake[s] of the power of myth and give[s] back to the reader the ambiguities of antique culture alive and well in the world of contemporary national borders…. Ahmad's voice, like that of an old storyteller of which he writes addressing an intertribal conclave about the consequences of a kidnapping. Ahmad's voice is usually clear and sharp like the sound of plucked strings from a musical instrument.”
The Los Angeles Times printed a front page profile of Jamil Ahmad, author of The Wandering Falcon, in this morning's paper. The article describes the 80-year-old debut author's path to publication and raves about the novel: "The Wandering Falcon moves far beyond the Western media's stereotypical depiction of the tribal areas and lays bare the nature of a place that is now a focal point of U.S. and European foreign policy." Read more...
Congrats to Jamil Ahmad, author of the upcoming The Wandering Falcon, for being chosen as a pick for Barnes & Noble’s Discover Great New Writers program!
“In his first novel, [Ahmad] proves a masterful guide to the landscape and to the captivating art of storytelling at its finest… A gripping book, as important for illuminating the current state of this region as it is timeless in its beautiful imagery and rhythmic prose.” More…
Listen to Jamil Ahmad speak with Granta’s Ellah Allfrey about his forthcoming book, The Wandering Falcon, a novel set in the tribal areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
NPR’s Steve Inskeep sits down with The Wandering Falcon author Jamil Ahmad to discuss the intricate world of the tribal regions of Pakistan. The novel, set in those tribal areas, describes the “ancient and often violent culture” of these tribes that nevertheless maintain a “clear dividing line between right and wrong." Listen to the full interview or read the transcript here.
