EXIT WEST

BY
MOSHIN
HAMID
SUMMITED TO: MAM
ZAIN FATIMA
SUMMITED BY:HINA
SHAFIQ
BSBB02163024
EARLY LIFE:
Mohsin Hamid was born in 1971. He is a Pakistani novelist, writer and brand consultant.

Hamid spent part of his childhood in the United States, where he stayed from the age of 3 to 9
while his father, a university professor, was enrolled in a PhD program at Stanford University.
He then moved with his family back to Lahore, Pakistan, and attended the Lahore American
School.

At the age of 18, Hamid returned to the United States to continue his education. He graduated
from Princeton University summa cum laude in 1993, having studied under the writers Joyce
Carol Oates and Toni Morrison. Hamid wrote the first draft of his first novel for a fiction
workshop taught by Morrison. He returned to Pakistan after college to continue working on it.
Hamid then attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1997.[4] Finding corporate law boring,
he repaid his student loans by working for several years as a management
consultant at McKinsey & Company in New York City. He was allowed to take three months off
each year to write, and he used this time to complete his first novel Moth Smoke.
WORK:
Hamid moved to London in the summer of 2001, initially intending to stay only one year.
Although he frequently returned to Pakistan to write, he continued to live in London for eight
years, becoming a dual citizen of the United Kingdom in 2006.[6] In 2004 he joined the brand
consultancy Wolff Olins, working only three days a week so as to retain time to write. [7] He later
served as managing director of Wolff Olins' London office, and in 2015 was appointed the firm's
first-ever Chief Storytelling Officer. Hamid's first novel, Moth Smoke, told the story of a
marijuana-smoking ex-banker in post-nuclear-test Lahore who falls in love with his best friend's
wife and becomes a heroin addict. It was published in 2000, and quickly became a cult hit in
Pakistan and India. It was also a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award given to the best first
novel in the US, and was adapted for television in Pakistan and as an operetta in Italy. Moth
Smoke had an innovative structure, using multiple voices, second person trial scenes, and essays
on such topics as the role of air-conditioning in the lives of its main characters. Pioneering a hip,
contemporary approach to South Asian fiction, it was considered by some critics to be "the most
interesting novel that came out of [its] generation of subcontinent writing." In the New York
Review of Books, Anita Desai noted: One could not really continue to write, or read about, the
slow seasonal changes, the rural backwaters, gossipy courtyards, and traditional families in a
world taken over by gun-running, drug-trafficking, large-scale industrialism, commercial
entrepreneurship, tourism, new money, nightclubs, boutiques... Where was the Huxley, the
Orwell, the Scott Fitzgerald, or even the Tom Wolfe, Jay McInerney, or Brett Easton Ellis to
record this new world? Mohsin Hamid's novel Moth Smoke, set in Lahore, is one of the first
pictures we have of that world. His second novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, told the story of
a Pakistani man who decides to leave his high-flying life in America after a failed love affair and
the terrorist attacks of 9/11. It was published in 2007 and became a million-copy international
best seller, reaching No.4 on the New York Times Best Seller list. The novel was shortlisted for
the Man Booker Prize, won several awards including the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and
the Asian American Literary Award, and was translated into over 25 languages. The
Guardianselected it as one of the books that defined the decade. Like Moth Smoke, The
Reluctant Fundamentalist was formally experimental. The novel used the unusual device of
a dramatic monologue in which the Pakistani protagonist continually addresses an American
listener who is never heard from directly. (Hamid has said The Fall by Albert Camus served as
his model. According to one commentator, because of this technique: maybe we the readers are
the ones who jump to conclusions; maybe the book is intended as a Rorschach to reflect back our
unconscious assumptions. In our not knowing lies the novel's suspense... Hamid literally leaves
us at the end in a kind of alley, the story suddenly suspended; it's even possible that some act of
violence might occur. But more likely, we are left holding the bag of conflicting worldviews.
We're left to ponder the symbolism of Changez having been caught up in the game of
symbolism—a game we ourselves have been known to play. In an interview in May 2007,
Hamid said of the brevity of The Reluctant Fundamentalist: "I’d rather people read my book
twice than only half-way through." His third novel, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, was
excerpted by The New Yorker in their 24 September 2012 issue and by Granta in their Spring
2013 issue, and was released in March 2013 by Riverhead Books. As with his previous
books, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia bends conventions of both genre and form.
Narrated in the second person, it tells the story of the protagonist's ("your") journey from
impoverished rural boy to tycoon in an unnamed contemporary city in "rising Asia," and of his
pursuit of the nameless "pretty girl" whose path continually crosses but never quite converges
with his. Stealing its shape from the self-help books devoured by ambitious youths all over
"rising Asia," the novel is playful but also quite profound in its portrayal of the thirst for
ambition and love in a time of shattering economic and social upheaval. In her New York
Times review of the novel, Michiko Kakutani called it "deeply moving," writing that How to Get
Filthy Rich in Rising Asia "reaffirms [Hamid's] place as one of his generation's most inventive
and gifted writers." Hamid has also written on politics, art, literature, travel, and other topics,
most recently on Pakistan's internal division and extremism in an op-ed for the New York
Times. His journalism, essays, and stories have appeared in TIME, The Guardian, Dawn, The
New York Times, The Washington Post, The International Herald Tribune, the Paris Review, and
other publications. In 2013 he was named one of the world's 100 Leading Global Thinkers
by Foreign Policy magazine. Hamid's most recent novel, Exit West, is about a young couple,
Nadia and Saeed, and their relationship in a time where the world is taken by storm by migrants.

PERSONAL LIFE:
Hamid moved to Lahore in 2009 with his wife Zahra and their daughter Dina. He now divides
his time between Pakistan and abroad, living between Lahore, New York, London, and
Mediterranean countries including Italy and Greece. Hamid has described himself as a
"mongrel" and has said of his own writing that "a novel can often be a divided man’s
conversation with himself."

LIST OF WORK:
Moth Smoke (2000)

The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007)

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia (2013)

Discontent and Its Civilisations: Despatches from Lahore, New York & London (2014)

Exit West (2017)

AWARDS & RECTIGTION GIVEN TO MOHSIN HAMID:

Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize (shortlist): Exit West

Kirkus Prize (shortlist): Exit West

Man Booker Prize (shortlist): Exit West

Medici Book Club Prize (shortlist): Exit West

Neustadt Prize (shortlist)

New York Times Best Book of the Year: Exit West

2014

Haus der Kulturen der Welt International Literature Award (shortlist): How to Get Filthy
Rich in Rising Asia

KLF Embassy of France Prize (shortlist): How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia

Tiziano Terzani International Literary Prize (winner): How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising
Asia

2013

DSC Prize for South Asian Literature (shortlist): How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia
Foreign Policy's 100 Leading Global Thinkers
2009
Guardian's Books of the Decade: The Reluctant Fundamentalist
International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award (shortlist): The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Premio Speciale Dal Testo Allo Schermo (winner): The Reluctant Fundamentalist

2008

Ambassador Book Award (winner): The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Anisfield-Wolf Book Award (winner): The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Arts Council England Decibel Award (shortlist): The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Asian American Literary Award (winner): The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Australia-Asia Literary Award (shortlist): The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book (shortlist): The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Index on Censorship T R Fyvel Award (shortlist): The Reluctant Fundamentalist

James Tait Black Memorial Prize (shortlist): The Reluctant Fundamentalist

South Bank Show Award for Literature (winner): The Reluctant Fundamentalist

2007

Good Housekeeping Book Award for Most Compelling Read (winner): The Reluctant
Fundamentalist

Man Booker Prize (shortlist): The Reluctant Fundamentalist

2001

Betty Trask Award (winner): Moth Smoke

Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book (shortlist): Moth Smoke

PEN/Hemingway Award (shortlist): Moth Smoke

2016

"Of Windows and Doors", short story adapted from Exit West, from: the New
Yorker
2013

"Alien Invasion in the G.L.A.C.", short story for the New Year issue, from:
the Financial Times
"Don't Fall in Love", short story adapted from How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising
Asia, from: Granta
2012

"The Third-Born", short story adapted from How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia,
from: the New Yorker
2011

"Terminator: Attack of the Drone", short story in the Guardian Review Book
of Short Stories, from: the Guardian
2010

"A Beheading", short story for the Pakistan issue, from: Granta

2008

"The (Former) General in his Labyrinth", interactive short story for

"Focus on the Fundamentals", short story adapted from The Reluctant

SAEED

NADIA

SAEED’S FATHER AND MOTHER

COOK WITH WHOM NADIA FALL IN LOVE

A GIRL WHOM SAEED MARRIES

SOME OTHER MINOR CHARATER

THEME:
Mohsin Hamid weaves a powerful and relevant narrative in “Exit West.” It claims fame as a
“Most Anticipated Book” by Buzzfeed, Time, and the Washington Post, a well-deserved title.
Amidst their unnamed country’s political turmoil, the main characters Nadia and Saeed find each
other and fall into deep, complicated love. As militants take over their city and bombs destroy
houses, the two lovers try to understand the nuances of their relationship. Soon they begin to hear
whispered rumors of doors that lead to faraway cities heavily guarded by officers. This initially
seems too good to be true, but Nadia and Saeed decide to try their luck and escape. Thus begins
their travel, continually westward, to find a new home. Hamid creates a plot relevant to today’s
global issues, yet many seemingly important details are left out. Although the discussion of
immigration, refugees, faith, and the constant fighting between “natives and migrants” imply
controversial subjects, the language of “Exit West” keeps the novel from being about a specific
crisis. Hamid never clarifies which country his characters are originally from or what religion
they practice or what language they speak. Although certain practices—such as prayers
throughout the day and women wearing robes—seem to imply that the two are Muslim, this is
not explicitly stated. This ambiguity might make it hard to contextualize the deeper messages of
a novel about race and religion, but it actually makes it more applicable. This vagueness also
sheds light on a particular refugee experience, while suppressing any prejudices a reader may
have that could influence their ability to sympathize with those who must flee their homes. Its
obscurity allows this text to be read in many different ways, depending on what global issue it is
being compared to. The writing style Hamid employs is brilliant. He deals with complicated
themes—such as attempting to feel at home in a foreign country while knowing that returning to
your homeland is not an option—yet uses simple and approachable language to do so: “He knew
how little it took to make a man into meat: the wrong blow, the wrong gunshot, the wrong flick
of a blade, turn of a car, presence of a microorganism in a handshake, a cough. He was aware
that alone a person is almost nothing.” While he fleshes out his ideas, Hamid makes sure not to
lose his reader with convoluted sentences. Throughout the novel, there is a striking juxtaposition
between the beautiful and the horrid. In one moment, Hamid describes the love Saeed feels as he
looks at Nadia, and in the next he illustrates her neighbor’s brutal death. Hamid delivers his
poignant messages in beautiful but concise ways. Often the entire sentiment of a chapter can be
summed up in one sentence. As Saeed and Nadia leave the country they have grown up in, they
struggle to say their final goodbyes. The deep sorrow is not fully expressed until the thought-
provoking line, “for when we migrate, we murder from our lives those we leave behind.” The
use of doors gives the narrative a surreal quality and artistic style. Although clearly not realistic,
the use of doors as a means of transportation to cities across the globe is within the realm of the
possible for the characters of the novel. The doors create conflict by facilitating immigration. As
large waves of immigrants of all sorts of nationalities flood into cities like London, problems
arise when the “natives” feel hostile. Although a great plot device, the doors also serve to give
the book an imaginative flair, adding a unreal essence quality to a situation grounded in reality.
Saeed and Nadia’s ability to traverse the globe gives the novel many different beautiful
backdrops as the two lovers try to understand themselves and each other away from their
homeland. The succinct style with which Hamid writes and his poignant messages allow “Exit
West” to live up to the hype surrounding its release. By balancing the surreality of the doors with
the ambiguity surrounding the characters’ identity, Hamid paints a picture of a refugee
experience that could reflect those of many immigrants today.

SUMMARY
The novel, which is told through the third-person omniscient perspective, opens on the first
meeting between its two central characters, Saeed and Nadia, in a class on corporate branding.
Although Nadia at first refuses Saeed’s flirtations, they eventually go out for coffee and have a
good time. Nadia invites Saeed back to her house, where they smoke weed and eventually hold
hands. Background is given on both characters. Saeed lives with his parents, who met in the city
years ago. Meanwhile, Nadia’s irreverence towards religion and her general rebellious attitude
causes a rift with her family and she moves into a rented studio apartment by herself. As the
militants begin to take over and the violence in the city escalates, they cling to one another.
When a curfew is imposed, Nadia and Saeed begin to meet during the day. Nadia spends her
lunch hours stocking up on supplies, while Saeed brings her supplies like a kerosene stove and
candles. After Saeed’s mother is shot by a stray bullet, Nadia and Saeed are determined to leave
the country. Saeed’s father refuses to leave with them, and Nadia promises him that she will
protect his son. With the help of a hired agent, Saeed and Nadia escape through a so-called
“special door,” which takes them to the Greek island of Mykonos. At Mykonos, Nadia and Saeed
set up camp. When Saeed rejects one of Nadia’s kisses, Nadia observes a new streak of
“bitterness” in Saeed, who she notes was never bitter before. As a bonding activity, Nadia
proposes that they explore the island like tourists. When Nadia falls on the rocks and scrapes her
arm, they head to a clinic, where she befriends the female volunteer who bandages her arm. The
girl eventually takes them a door, which brings them to London. In London, they come out the
other side of the door in a mansion. Over the course of weekend, other migrants arrive from
Guatemala, Indonesia, and Nigeria. While Nadia integrates into this community and eventually
joins the Nigerians’ elder council, Saeed begins to spend more time at a nearby house filled with
people from their home country. Meanwhile, tensions are rising between migrants who are
arriving in greater and greater numbers every day, and nativists who want to “reclaim Britain for
Britain” (135. There is talk of warfare and of a large-scale migrant massacre. Saeed buys a gun,
and returns it. The massacre does not happen, and the nativists accept the need to coexist. Saeed
and Nadia get work on a construction site outside of London. The work is hard and the hours are
long. They grow increasingly distant, and in an effort to repair their relationship, Nadia suggests
that they move to Marin, outside San Francisco. In Marin, they set up a cardboard shanty on a
hilltop with a strong wireless data signal. Nadia gets a job at a food co-operative, while Saeed
gets involved with a local religious organization led by an African American preacher.
Eventually, Nadia moves out of the shanty and into a storage room in the cooperative. Saeed gets
more involved with the preacher’s daughter, and Nadia starts seeing the cooperative’s female
head cook. The last chapter is set half a century in the future. Nadia has returned to their city for
the first time, and meets with Saeed for coffee at a nearby café. Gradually, their conversation
develops into a playful rhythm. Nadia wonders what would have happened had she agreed to
marry Saeed, and Saeed wonders what would have happened had he agreed to have sex with
Nadia. As they leave the café, Saeed tells Nadia that he will one day take her to the deserts in
Chile. She says that sounds nice, and they embrace without knowing whether that day will ever
come.