Rumaan Alam

Last updated
Rumaan Alam
Rumaan Alam for National Book Foundation.jpg
Born1977 (age 4647)
OccupationWriter
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Oberlin College
Genre Thriller, literary fiction
Notable works Leave the World Behind
Website
www.rumaanalam.com

Rumaan Alam (born 1977) [1] is an American writer.

Early life and education

His parents emigrated from Bangladesh to the United States in the early 1970s. Alam, one of four siblings, was born in 1977 and grew up in a suburb of Washington, D.C. His father being an architect and his mother being a paediatrician, he had an upper-middle class lifestyle while growing up in a mostly white area. [2] He studied writing at Oberlin College.

Contents

He and his partner adopted two boys. [1]

Career

He is the author of four novels: Leave the World Behind , That Kind of Mother, Rich and Pretty, and Entitlement. He also hosts two podcasts for Slate.

Leave the World Behind was acclaimed by book critics [3] and nominated for the 2020 National Book Award. [4] It was later adapted as a 2023 film for Netflix with the same name. [5] [6] [7]

Works

Books

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Powers</span> American writer and music critic

Ann K. Powers is an American writer and popular music critic. She is a music critic for NPR and a contributor at the Los Angeles Times, where she was previously chief pop critic. She has also written for other publications, such as The New York Times, Blender and The Village Voice. Powers is the author of Weird Like Us: My Bohemian America, a memoir; Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black & White, Body and Soul in American Music, on eroticism in American pop music; and Piece by Piece, co-authored with Tori Amos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sasha Frere-Jones</span> American writer and musician

Alexander Roger Wallace "Sasha" Frere-Jones is an American writer, music critic, and musician. He has written for Pretty Decorating, ego trip, Hit It And Quit It, Mean, Slant, The New York Post, The Wire, The Village Voice, Slate, Spin, and The New York Times. He was on the staff of The New Yorker from 2004 to 2015. In January 2015, he left The New Yorker to work for Genius as an executive editor. Frere-Jones left Genius after several months to become critic-at-large at The Los Angeles Times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilya Kaminsky</span> Poet, critic, translator and professor

Ilya Kaminsky is a poet, critic, translator and professor. He is best known for his poetry collections Dancing in Odesa and Deaf Republic, which have earned him several awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashlee Vance</span> American journalist (born 1977)

Ashlee Vance is an American reporter, writer and filmmaker. He wrote a biography of Elon Musk, titled Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, that was released on May 19, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanna Rosin</span> Israeli-born American writer (born 1970)

Hanna Rosin is an American writer and podcaster. She is the host of Radio Atlantic and a Senior Editor at the Atlantic. Previously she was the editorial director for audio for New York Magazine Formerly, she was the co-host of the NPR podcast Invisibilia with Alix Spiegel. She was co-founder of DoubleX, the now closed women's site connected to the online magazine Slate, and the DoubleX podcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nell Freudenberger</span> American novelist, essayist, and short-story writer

Nell Freudenberger is an American novelist, essayist, and short-story writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel H. Pink</span> American author (born 1964)

Daniel H. Pink is an American author. He has written seven New York Times bestsellers. He was host and a co-executive producer of the National Geographic Channel social science TV series Crowd Control. From 1995 to 1997, he was the chief speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yiyun Li</span> Chinese writer and professor (born 1972)

Yiyun Li is a Chinese-born writer and professor in the United States. Her short stories and novels have won several awards, including the PEN/Hemingway Award and Guardian First Book Award for A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, the 2020 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award for Where Reasons End, and the 2023 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for The Book of Goose. Her short story collection Wednesday's Child was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. She is an editor of the Brooklyn-based literary magazine A Public Space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauren Groff</span> American writer (born 1978)

Lauren Groff is an American novelist and short story writer. She has written five novels and two short story collections, including Fates and Furies (2015), Florida (2018), Matrix (2022), and The Vaster Wilds (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Goodell</span> American author and journalist

Jeff Goodell is an American author of seven non-fiction books and a longtime contributing writer to Rolling Stone. Goodell's writings are known for a focus on energy and environmental issues. He is Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and a 2020 Guggenheim Fellow.

Nathan Thrall is an American author, essayist, and journalist based in Jerusalem. Thrall is known for his 2023 nonfiction work A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy, and is a contributor to several literary magazines. As of 2023 he is a professor at Bard College in New York state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leslie Jamison</span> American novelist and essayist

Leslie Sierra Jamison is an American novelist and essayist. She is the author of the 2010 novel The Gin Closet and the 2014 essay collection The Empathy Exams. Jamison also directs the nonfiction concentration in writing at Columbia University School of the Arts.

John Donovan was an American writer of young adult literature. He is best known for his 1969 novel I'll Get There. It Better Be Worth the Trip, the first known young adult novel to directly address the subject of homosexuality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jami Attenberg</span> American fiction writer and essayist

Jami Attenberg is an American fiction writer and essayist. She is the author of a short story collection, six novels, including the best-seller The Middlesteins (2012), and a memoir, I Came All ThisWay to Meet You (2022).

Priscilla Gilman is an American writer and former college professor. She has written about literature, parenting, education, and autism for numerous publications, and is an advocate for autistic people and children. She is the author of The Anti-Romantic Child: A Story of Unexpected Joy, which was inspired by her autistic son Benjamin.

<i>The Topeka School</i> 2019 novel by Ben Lerner

The Topeka School is a 2019 novel by the American novelist and poet Ben Lerner about a high school debate champion from Topeka, Kansas in the 1990s. The book is considered both a bildungsroman and a work of autofiction, as the narrative incorporates many details from Lerner's own life. The novel was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 2020.

<i>Leave the World Behind</i> (film) 2023 film by Sam Esmail

Leave the World Behind is a 2023 American apocalyptic psychological thriller film written and directed by Sam Esmail. It is based on the 2020 novel by Rumaan Alam. The film stars Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, and Myha'la. Set on Long Island, it revolves around two families as they try to make sense of a rapid breakdown in phones, television, and other common technology which points to a potential cataclysm. The subtext throughout the film intersects with racism and class bias.

<i>Leave the World Behind</i> (novel) 2020 novel by Rumaan Alam

Leave the World Behind is a 2020 novel by Rumaan Alam, published by Ecco.

Claire Oshetsky is an American novelist. They were a science journalist. They are best known for their novel Chouette, which was longlisted for the 2022 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, and won the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing.

References

  1. 1 2 Dave Davies interviewing Rumaan Alam (7 October 2020). Novelist Rumaan Alam. Fresh Air. 17:27, 23:30, and 31:40 minutes in. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  2. Cain, Sian (6 November 2020). "Rumaan Alam: 'What we are experiencing now is part of a bigger moment'". The Guardian .
  3. "Leave the World Behind | Book Marks". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  4. Bio
  5. Onion, Rebecca (2023-12-14). "Leave the World Behind Is Leaving Viewers Baffled. The Book Has Clues". Slate. ISSN   1091-2339 . Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  6. Brew, Caroline (2023-12-09). "'Leave the World Behind' Ending Explained: Author Rumaan Alam on the Significance of 'Friends' and the Accuracy of That Final Theory". Variety. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  7. Holmes, Linda (2023-12-07). "An apocalyptic vacation in 'Leave The World Behind' : Pop Culture Happy Hour". NPR. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  8. Wilkinson, Alissa (2023-12-07). "'Leave the World Behind' Review: It's the End of the World, I Guess". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  9. Self, John (2024-10-08). "Entitlement by Rumaan Alam review – meandering study of money's corrupting influence". The Observer. ISSN   0029-7712 . Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  10. O’Neill, Joseph (2024-09-17). "Book Review: 'Entitlement,' by Rumaan Alam". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  11. Corrigan, Maureen (2024-09-19). "'Leave the World Behind' was a tough act to follow". NPR. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  12. Miller, Laura (2024-09-16). "Other People's Money Can Drive You Mad". The New Yorker. ISSN   0028-792X . Retrieved 2024-10-13.