Omair Ahmad Biography and latest books by Omair Ahmad

Omair Ahmad is a critically acclaimed Indian writer whose third book Jimmy the Terrorist was shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2009. This book also won him the 2010 Vodafone Crossword Book Award. His other works include a novel Encounters and a novella The Storyteller’s Tale.


Omair Ahmad was born in Aligarh, UP and his native town is Gorakhpur. He completed his basic education at international schools in Saudi Arabia and in Woodstock, Mussoorie India. He has also studied international politics from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi and Syracuse University in New York, and has worked as an analyst, journalist (Voice of America ) and political adviser (British High Commission) in New Delhi, London and Washington.


Although literature was an integral part of his growing up, he focused more on sciences. Omair’s father was a petroleum engineer. They later moved to Saudi Arabia. On the family’s return to India Omair attended an international school, where he studied Calculus, Physics and Chemistry, although he also bagged an annual writing award. But in 1990s when the Ayodhya riots happened Omair left his science degree and switched to Political Science, History and Literature.


Ahmad’s first novel Encounters received little attention, but his second was a critical and commercial success. The Storyteller’s Tale was also translated in French, German and Spanish.