Ayad Akhtar is an accomplished American author, playwright, and screenwriter. He is best known for his novel, Homeland Elegies, which was included in many "Best of the Year" lists in 2020, such as O Magazine Book of the Year, Kirkus Reviews Book of the Year, and Slate Best Book of 2020.
Born on October 28, 1970, in Staten Island, New York City, Akhtar grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His passion for literature began in high school, where he discovered his love for storytelling. Akhtar's work has since gained significant recognition and acclaim in the literary world.
As a playwright, Akhtar has written several notable plays, including Junk, which received a Kennedy Prize for American Drama and a Tony nomination. His play Disgraced won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2013 and was also nominated for a Tony Award. The Who & The What and The Invisible Hand are other plays he has written, which have received critical acclaim and various award nominations.
In addition to his work as a playwright, Akhtar is an accomplished novelist. His debut novel, American Dervish, was published in 2012 by Little, Brown & Co. and has been translated into over 20 languages. The novel was also named a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2012. As a screenwriter, Akhtar received a nomination for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay for the film The War Within.
Akhtar has received numerous awards and fellowships for his work, including the Steinberg Playwrighting Award, the Nestroy Award, the Erwin Piscator Award, and fellowships from the American Academy in Rome, MacDowell, the Sundance Institute, and Yaddo. He is also a Board Director at Yaddo and a Board Trustee at PEN/America and New York Theatre Workshop.