Hisham Matar

Hisham Matar is a Libyan-British author and Professor of Professional Practice in English, Asian and Middle Eastern Cultures, and Comparative Literature at Barnard College, Columbia University. Born in New York City and raised in Tripoli and Cairo, he has lived most of his adult life in London. He is the author of internationally acclaimed novels and memoirs, including In the Country of Men, Anatomy of a Disappearance, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir The Return.

Education:

• M.A. Design Futures (Architecture), Goldsmiths College, University of London

Research Interests:

Matar's academic and creative work centers on Modernism, Romanticism, Literature of Exile, and Translation. His writing and teaching explore the psychological and cultural dimensions of displacement, memory, and identity, particularly within the context of Libyan and Arab experiences. He also investigates how literature can serve as a form of resistance and healing in the face of political trauma.

Teaching and Courses:

At Barnard, Matar teaches courses such as Fiction Writing and Exile and Estrangement in Global Literature. He teaches one semester per year and finds deep fulfillment in engaging with students, describing the classroom as "a place of endless possibility."

Scientific and Literary Awards:

• 2017 Pulitzer Prize for The Return
• 2017 PEN/Jean Stein Award
• 2017 Rathbones Folio Prize
• 2007 Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize
• 2007 Commonwealth First Book Award
• 2013 Blue Metropolis Al Majidi Ibn Dhaher Arab Literary Prize
• 2024 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction

Professional Affiliations and Fellowships:

• Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
• Academician for the Folio Prize
• Former Trustee of English PEN
• Founder and Principal Curator of the Barnard International Artists Series

Publications and Creative Work:

Matar’s books have been translated into over 30 languages. His recent novel My Friends (2024) explores the lives of three Libyan exiles in London and has been longlisted for the Booker Prize. His essays and reviews appear regularly in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Guardian, and other major publications.