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Uzma Aslam Khan

Goodreads Author

Born

in Lahore, Pakistan

Website

https://www.uzmaaslamkhan.com

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Historical Fiction

Member Since

August 2012

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Uzma Aslam Khan is the prize-winning author of five novels published worldwide. These include Trespassing, translated in 18 languages and recipient of a Commonwealth Prize nomination; The Geometry of God, a Kirkus Reviews' Best Book of 2009; Thinner Than Skin, nominated for the Man Asian Literary Prize and DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, and winner of the French Embassy Prize for Best Fiction at the Karachi Literature Festival 2014. Her work has twice won a Zoetrope: All Story Short Fiction Prize, and appeared in Granta, The Massachusetts Review, Australian Book Review, Nimrod, AGNI, Calyx, and Guardian UK, among many other periodicals.

Khan’s fifth novel, The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali, is set in the British penal settlement ...more

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Hi Uzma It's remarkable that The True History of Nomi Ali took you 26 years to write.Would you elaborate why it took so long ?

Uzma Aslam Khan There were many reasons. First, when I began this novel, there was hardly anything written about the Andaman Islands during the period preceding and d…moreThere were many reasons. First, when I began this novel, there was hardly anything written about the Andaman Islands during the period preceding and during WW2. So it took me a long time to collect the "facts."

But, equally, I needed to interrogate whose history is written, whose "facts" I'm being handed. Much of what I know is through sources that omit women like me--a Pakistani Muslim from the Global South. So, to write historical fiction from a "true" perspective--the perspective of someone whose story is not supposed to matter--I needed a language for my characters, and a texture, that was specific to their experience of being left out of the record. Only then did I find that thing you can’t really name, that thing that starts to feel “true” or “accurate.” And this process took a long time. Every book has its own life. There is no lengthening or shortening it. (less)

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Which one is your favourite among your own books,and why ?

Uzma Aslam Khan It's impossible to choose! All of them are my children. What I will say is that the birth of the new novel, The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali, w…moreIt's impossible to choose! All of them are my children. What I will say is that the birth of the new novel, The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali, was the longest, and hardest. It took over 26 years. That is more than half my life, so you could say that I grew up writing this book. The prisoner in the book was the first character I ever wrote for a novel. There are few things I've carried for so long. She taught me about holding space, both loving and traumatic. She also taught me that memory follows those who are physically displaced, as I myself have been many times, and memory has a way of expanding. She taught me so many other things. So in a way it is by holding her that I learned to know and trust myself as a writer. (less)

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Uzma Aslam Khan’s books

Average rating: 3.65 · 1,850 ratings · 260 reviews · 12 distinct works • Similar authors

	Trespassing 3.45 avg rating — 593 ratings — published 2003 — 26 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali 3.95 avg rating — 356 ratings — published 2019 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Geometry of God 3.67 avg rating — 323 ratings — published 2008 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Thinner Than Skin 3.34 avg rating — 213 ratings — published 2012 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Story of Noble Rot 3.20 avg rating — 44 ratings — published 2001 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mehwish parla al sole by Uzma Aslam Khan (Goodreads Author), Norman Gobetti (Traduttore) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2010	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Verwoben. 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Benden Öte 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Trespassing by Uzma Aslam Khan 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Geometry of God by Uzma Aslam Khan (2008-12-01) by Uzma Aslam Khan (Goodreads Author), Unknown Author 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Uzma Aslam Khan's Blog

THE INJURED BODY: A FILM ABOUT RACISM IN AMERICA by Mara Ahmed

Hello visitors! I'm super excited to share news of a breathtakingly beautiful and vital film, 'The Injured Body,' by filmmaker and multi-media artist Mara Ahmed. The world premier is this Friday, November 14 at 7:00 p.m. at Cinema Art Center in Huntington, NY. And I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be joining Mara, and artist Brianna L. Hernandez, for the post-screening discussion.

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Uzma Aslam Khan wrote a new blog post THE INJURED BODY: A FILM ABOUT RACISM IN AMERICA by Mara Ahmed Hello visitors! I'm super excited to share news of a breathtakingly beautiful and vital film, 'The Injured Body,' by filmmaker and multi-media artist Read more of this blog post »
Nov 14, 2025 01:43AM · like
Uzma Aslam Khan made a comment on Briana’s review of The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali " Thank you so much! "
Jul 27, 2024 09:00AM · see review
Uzma Aslam Khan and 1 other person liked Briana's review of The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali: "This book was absolutely beautiful. A forgotten history, this book introduced me to an area of the world in such visceral detail that I forgot I had never read anything about it. It is also a story of unimaginable loss and cruelty but Khan somehow we" Read more of this review »
Jul 27, 2024 08:57AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali by Uzma Aslam Khan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali by Uzma Aslam Khan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Uzma Aslam Khan (?)

“Have you noticed that when men want freedom, the conversation is about the nature of action, violence or non-violence? But when women want freedom, the conversation is about the nature of women, natural or unnatural?”
― Uzma Aslam Khan, The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali

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“My faith is what they bury when they force me to expose it.”
― Uzma Aslam Khan, The Geometry of God

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“She leaves the spoon and takes my face in her hands. They're warm and smell devine. She holds me, whispering, "God help him understand you are still a child. God give you health and prosperity. God release you from all you wish to be released from." I shut my eyes and hope she never releases me.”
― Uzma Aslam Khan, The Geometry of God

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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21st Century Lite...: Man Asian Literary Prize	8	206	Sep 21, 2013 04:05PM
The Book Club: Books and Authors in the Media	71	116	Jan 14, 2015 01:36PM
The Mookse and th...: 2016 Booker Shortlist Discussion	184	119	Dec 28, 2016 01:30PM
500 Great Books B...: 15 - A South Asian Author	6	24	Dec 31, 2018 12:52PM
500 Great Books B...: Aubrey's 2019 Reading Women Challenge	27	92	Aug 07, 2019 12:01PM
Read Women: Books you have just Bought, Ordered, Checked out of your Library or Borrowed	33	90	Nov 07, 2019 07:00PM
Read Women: 2020 Winter Quarterly Challenge - Small & Indie Presses or India, Pakistan, Bangladesh & Kashmir	65	163	Mar 29, 2020 04:35AM

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Uzma’s Quotes

“The hitter can never be the judge. Only the receiver of the blow can tell you how hard it was, whether it would kill a man or make a baby just yawn.”
― Edward P. Jones, The Known World

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Uzma’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-2) post a comment »

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message 2: by Uzma

Dec 30, 2019 02:27PM

Wsm wrote: "Thanks for accepting the friend request,Uzma.I'm reading Thinner Than Skin,and find it very enjoyable."

Thank you for reaching out (and for reading my work!), Wsm.

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message 1: by W

Dec 30, 2019 06:45AM