The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Encyclopedia
The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a novel by Mohsin Hamid
, published in 2007.
The novel uses the technique of a frame story
, which takes place during the course of a single evening in an outdoor Lahore
cafe, where a bearded Pakistani man called Changez (the Urdu
name for Genghis
) tells a nervous American stranger about his love affair with an American woman, and his eventual abandonment of America. A short story adapted from the novel called "Focus on the Fundamentals" appeared in the fall 2006 issue of The Paris Review. A film adaptation of the novel by director Mira Nair
is also in development.
selected it as one of the books that defined the decade.
.
BBC Radio 4
began broadcasting an abridged version on 22 August 2011, read by British actor Riz Ahmed
.
gave the novel to all new undergraduates as part of the Tulane University Reading Project. In 2009, the University of St Andrews
announced that they would be sending a free copy of The Reluctant Fundamentalist to all of 1,500 new undergraduates as part of a new incentive to "offer students a common topic for discussion and focus energies on reading and intellectual debate". In 2010, Washington University in St. Louis
also gave the book to each of its incoming freshmen, as a part of the "Freshmen Reading Program." Georgetown University also chose this book for incoming freshman's summer reading. Ursinus College has also incorporated the novel into their unique Common Intellectual Experience for freshmen students. Additionally, Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas uses the book in all honors rhetoric classes for first-year students. Siena College in Loudonville, New York also uses the novel as an introduction to their First Year Seminar programs.
Reviews
Mohsin Hamid
Mohsin Hamid is a Pakistani author best known for his novels Moth Smoke and The Reluctant Fundamentalist .- Biography :...
, published in 2007.
The novel uses the technique of a frame story
Frame story
A frame story is a literary technique that sometimes serves as a companion piece to a story within a story, whereby an introductory or main narrative is presented, at least in part, for the purpose of setting the stage either for a more emphasized second narrative or for a set of shorter stories...
, which takes place during the course of a single evening in an outdoor Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
cafe, where a bearded Pakistani man called Changez (the Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
name for Genghis
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
) tells a nervous American stranger about his love affair with an American woman, and his eventual abandonment of America. A short story adapted from the novel called "Focus on the Fundamentals" appeared in the fall 2006 issue of The Paris Review. A film adaptation of the novel by director Mira Nair
Mira Nair
Mira Nair is an Indian film director and producer based in New York. Her production company is Mirabai Films.She was educated at Delhi University and Harvard University. Her debut feature film, Salaam Bombay! , won the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival and also earned the nomination...
is also in development.
Awards and nominations
The novel was shortlisted for the 2007 Booker Prize. It also won an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the South Bank Show Annual Award for Literature, and several other awards. The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
selected it as one of the books that defined the decade.
Commercial reception
The novel became an international best-seller. It reached #4 on the New York Times Best Seller listNew York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
.
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
began broadcasting an abridged version on 22 August 2011, read by British actor Riz Ahmed
Riz Ahmed
Rizwan Ahmed , also known as Riz Ahmed, the Rizmeister General, or Riz MC, is a British MC, musician and actor. He is noted for his lead performances in The Road to Guantanamo, Shifty, Britz, and Four Lions.-Ethnic background:Ahmed is a British Pakistani...
.
Academic reception
In 2008, Tulane UniversityTulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
gave the novel to all new undergraduates as part of the Tulane University Reading Project. In 2009, the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
announced that they would be sending a free copy of The Reluctant Fundamentalist to all of 1,500 new undergraduates as part of a new incentive to "offer students a common topic for discussion and focus energies on reading and intellectual debate". In 2010, Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
also gave the book to each of its incoming freshmen, as a part of the "Freshmen Reading Program." Georgetown University also chose this book for incoming freshman's summer reading. Ursinus College has also incorporated the novel into their unique Common Intellectual Experience for freshmen students. Additionally, Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas uses the book in all honors rhetoric classes for first-year students. Siena College in Loudonville, New York also uses the novel as an introduction to their First Year Seminar programs.
External links
General- Podcast of Mohsin Hamid discussing The Reluctant Fundamentalist on the BBC's World Book ClubWorld Book ClubWorld Book Club is a radio programme on the BBC World Service. Each edition of the programme, which is broadcast on the first Saturday of the month with repeats into the following Monday, features a famous author discussing one of his or her books, often the most well-known one, with the public...
(9 Mar 2009) - Podcast of Mohsin Hamid discussing The Reluctant Fundamentalist on the ABCAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
's Late Night LiveLate Night LiveLate Night Live is an Australian radio program broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Radio National as well as on Radio Australia shortwave radio and podcast and streamed over the World Wide Web....
(25 May 2007) - Lecture discussing The Reluctant Fundamentalist on TVO's Big Ideas (23 Oct 2010)
- Excerpt from The Reluctant Fundamentalist in The Paris Review
Reviews
- Reviews of The Reluctant Fundamentalist from Mohsin Hamid's website
- Review exploring in particular the visual aspects of the book
- Review of The Reluctant Fundamentalist from the Village Voice
- Review of The Reluctant Fundamentalist from Metro
- Review of The Reluctant Fundamentalist from The Independent
- Review of The Reluctant Fundamentalist from The Observer
- Review of The Reluctant Fundamentalist from Blogcritics
- Review of The Reluctant Fundamentalist from EGO Magazine
- Review of The Reluctant Fundamentalist from Culturazzi
- Review of The Reluctant Fundamentalist in Pakistani monthly political magazine Newsline
- http://www.democratiya.com/review.asp?reviews_id=93Review of The Reluctant Fundamentalist in DemocratiyaDemocratiyaDemocratiya was a free quarterly online review of books that aims "stimulate discussion of radical democratic political theory". Sixteen editions were produced from 2005 until a final edition in Autumn 2009....
, an online journal]