Amitava Kumar

Amitava Kumar is a leading figure in modern Indian literature, known and celebrated for his novels, short stories, essays, and documentaries. Kumar is an award-winning novelist and an acclaimed professor of English at Vassar College. His writing combines the experiences of being both Indian at home and an international traveller, providing readers with insight into both local and global issues.

Kumar was born in Patna, India, in 1952 and grew up in Bihar and Delhi. He received his bachelor’s degree in English Literature from St. Stephen's College in Delhi and his master's in Comparative Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He later earned his Ph.D. in English Language & Literature from Stanford University.

Kumar has been researching and writing about Indian culture for decades and exploring the themes of identity, migration, and cultural change. His novel, “The Lovers: A Novel” (2004), was awarded The Hindu Best Fiction Award. His documentary Bombay Our City (1984) was the first Indian documentary to be released internationally. He is also the author of six non-fiction works, including the critically acclaimed “Husband of a Fanatic: A Personal Journey through India, Pakistan, Love and Hate” (2005).

Kumar’s writing often takes place in the context of travel, as in his non-fiction travelogue, “Passport Photos” (2014). Kumar details his journey across India and India’s diasporic communities and explores how they affect his own identity as an Indian. He sheds light on both the oppression and flourishing of people who live between multiple homes, providing an important perspective on a subject not often discussed in the West.

Kumar is also the author of a number of essays which have been published in various collections, including “The Wall of Words” (2018). His essays explore topics such as global politics, literature, and the search for individual identity in the contemporary world. In “Dbq: On Writing, Apathy, and This Indian Life” (2014), he writes about his own experiences as a teacher, writer and traveler, and his ever-changing view of India in the face of overwhelming cultural changes.

Kumar is a recipient of the Windham-Campbell Prize and is a regular contributor to The New York Times, The Guardian and the London Review of Books. He has lectured at several colleges and universities, including Harvard University and NYU. He also serves as an editor of the literary magazine Wasafiri and is an editor at large of the award-winning journal “A Public Space”.

Kumar’s work is an invaluable addition to modern Indian literature and his view of the world as an Indian-born migrant provides an important perspective on the relationships between cultures and people. His extensive body of work is a testament to his commitment to his writing, travel, and research and is a source of inspiration for many.