Khalid Jawed
Author
I would like to write my novel, exploring the hidden dimensions of existence, during my stay at the residency program.The novel will deal with the decay and internal anxieties of a person. The narrative of the novel will be a spiral loop and multi-layered with a creative use of symbolism and surrealism. I feel that through this project my engagement with literature and art will not only deepen, but it will also broaden my creative pursuits and artistic development.
Khalid Jawed is one of the most celebrated voices in contemporary Urdu literature, renowned for the originality of his narrative craft, philosophical depth, and extraordinary command of language. A former Professor in the Department of Urdu at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, he is the author of acclaimed novels including Maut Ki Kitab and Nematkhana, whose English translation, The Paradise of Food, won the JCB Prize for Literature in 2022. His works have received many prestigious literary honours and have been translated into English, French, Malayalam, Hindi, and several other languages. Nematkhana is taught at INALCO, Paris, while his celebrated story Aakhri Dawat (The Last Supper) is included in the Comparative Literature curriculum at Princeton University. He has participated in numerous international literary forums and conferences, including those at the University of Virginia, Princeton University (USA), and INALCO, Paris. His fiction is distinguished by its multilayered narratives, symbolic richness, and profound engagement with contemporary realities and the human condition.
