Chance plays a powerful role in every life - our brains and personalities are just chemical soup, after all; a few drops here or there matter enormously - but consequences often become more serious as income levels go down. Mohsin Hamid brainchancechemical share on social
My earliest memories are of watching 'Star Trek' and 'MASH' while my parents barbecued chicken in the back yard. I was an American kid, through and through. Mohsin Hamid americanbackbarbecue Change image and share on social
In Sufi terms, there are two very interesting notions of transcendence. One is to gaze out at the universe and to comprehend that what you see out there reflects what you are. The other one is to look inside yourself and recognise that the universe is present there. Mohsin Hamid comprehendgazeinside share on social
In writing literary fiction, you are trying to help yourself. And readers are going to literary fiction not just to be entertained, but because they feel something else will happen; that the experience will take them beyond themselves and show them something they haven't seen before. Mohsin Hamid entertainexperiencefeel share on social
I am sometimes asked to name my favourite books. The list changes, depending on my mood, the year, tricks played by memory. I might mention novels by Nabokov and Calvino and Tolkien on one occasion, by Fitzgerald and Baldwin and E.B. White on another. Camus often features, as do Tolstoy, Borges, Morrison and Manto. Mohsin Hamid askbaldwinbook share on social
For people who are at the bottom economically, the world is becoming a harder and harder place. And yet the incentives to become rich are so great because enormous amounts of wealth are being accumulated. And so those two things, that carrot and stick, are beating people along this trajectory of trying desperately to move up in the world. Mohsin Hamid accumulateamountbeat share on social
Farmers and people who make a living from the land are finding it impossible to survive. So the first step is to get out of that place. Come to the city where there are opportunities. Mohsin Hamid cityfarmerfind Change image and share on social
Pakistan now is like a horror film franchise. You know, it's 'Friday the 13th, Episode 63: The Terrorist from Pakistan.' And each time we hear of Pakistan it's in that context. Mohsin Hamid 13thcontextepisode Change image and share on social
If your sense of self is destabilised, to imagine being another becomes pretty easy. Mohsin Hamid destabiliseeasyimagine Change image and share on social
Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself. Mohsin Hamid echoempathyfind Change image and share on social