LAHORE: Pakistan’s lauded author Mohammed Hanif’s latest work Red Birds has been longlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize.
Published in 2018, the novel is a satire of American foreign policy and tells important truths about the absurdity of war and the impossibility of peace in Hanif’s typical dark and witty style.
Absolutely delighted to find Red Birds, by the marvel that is Mohammed Hanif, on this year’s very fine Folio Prize longlist. https://t.co/pqg3JuZCec
— Faiza S Khan (@BhopalHouse) March 18, 2019
A Case of Exploding Mangoes-fame author will contend with 19 other writers for a prize amount of £30,000. The result will be announced on March 21.
Hanif’s debut novel A Case of Exploding Mangoes won the Commonwealth Prize for Best Book and the Shakti Bhatt first book award. It was also shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award. His second book, Our Lady of Alice Bhatti, won the Wellcome Book Prize.
A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Academy alumnus, Hanif subsequently left the Air force to pursue a career in journalism. In 1996, he moved to London to work for the BBC. He served as the head of BBC Urdu Service before returning to Pakistan in 2008.
Hanif was honoured with Sitara-e-Imtiaz – the third-highest civilian prize in the country – in 2018.
