Alamgir Hashmi

Alamgir Hashmi is a distinguished English-language poet and writer. He earned his educational qualifications in Pakistan, Europe, and the United States. Hashmi’s career spans various academic and literary roles, including teaching positions at universities in Pakistan, the United States, and Europe.

Known for his avant-garde style, Hashmi’s poetry has received critical acclaim globally. Of his twelve books of poetry to date, the notable ones include ‘America Is a Punjabi Word,’ ‘My Second in Kentucky,’ ‘This Time in Lahore,’ ‘Sun and Moon and Other Poems,’ and ‘The Shorter Poems 1993-2023.’ His poetry often explores themes of love, cultural identity, and the human experience, blending Eastern and Western literary traditions.

Hashmi has also contributed significantly to literary criticism and scholarship, authoring and editing important works like ‘Pakistani Literature: The Contemporary English Writers,’ ‘Ezra Pound,’ ‘The Worlds of Muslim Imagination,’ and ‘The Commonwealth, Comparative Literature and the World.’ He has edited and advised many international scholarly journals and judged national and international literary prizes. His efforts in promoting comparative literature and fostering cultural understanding have been widely recognized.

Throughout his career, Hashmi has received numerous honours, including the Patras Bokhari Award from the Pakistan Academy of Letters, a Rockefeller Fellowship, and the President of Pakistan’s Award for Pride of Performance (Literature and Literary Criticism). His influence extends beyond poetry, impacting literary studies and cultural discourse across continents.