Homeland Elegies

Homeland Elegies is a 2020 novel by author Ayad Akhtar. The novel received positive reviews, and was a finalist for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.

Homeland Elegies
AuthorAyad Akhtar
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
PublisherLittle, Brown and Company
Pages368 pages
ISBN978-0316496421

Writing and background

The book is a novel, though written to resemble a memoir.[1] The book includes some autobiographical elements; the protagonist shares the name, background, and career of the author.[1] It has been referred to as autofiction.[2] The book was inspired by a lawsuit against Akhtar's father and the recent political history of the United States,[3] including the election of Donald Trump.[4]

Reception

Critical reception

Dwight Garner, in his review of the book for the New York Times, praised the book as "[...] a beautiful novel about an American son and his immigrant father [...]". Garner perceived "echoes" of The Great Gatsby in Homeland Elegies.[5] Rafia Zakaria, writing for the Boston Globe, compared the work favorably to the novels and memoir of Salman Rushdie.[6]

Honors

The novel is a finalist for the 2021 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.[7]

The book was named by the New York Times, Slate, and other publications as one of the best books of 2020.[8][9]

References
  1. Butler, Isaac (7 December 2020). "Seeking the Truth About Trump's America by Blurring Fact and Fiction". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  2. Elgrably, Jordan (10 November 2020). "Trump Derangement Syndrome, or How I Learned to Love America: On Ayad Akhtar's "Homeland Elegies"". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  3. Elgenaidi, Deena (17 September 2020). ""Homeland Elegies" Examines What It Means to Be Muslim American Post-9/11". Electric Literature. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  4. Rebolini, Arianna (18 September 2020). ""Because I'm Muslim, I Must Be Writing About Muslims. I'm Trying To Write About This Country." A Conversation With Ayad Akhtar". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  5. Garner, Dwight (14 September 2020). "With Wit and Anger, Ayad Akhtar Addresses What It Means to Be American". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  6. Zakaria, Rafia (10 September 2020). "A glimpse of Rushdie's children in 'Homeland Elegies' - The Boston Globe". Boston Globe. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  7. "ALA Unveils 2021 Carnegie Medals Shortlist". American Libraries Magazine. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  8. "The 10 Best Books of 2020". The New York Times. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  9. Miller, Laura (10 December 2020). "The Best Books of 2020". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 11 January 2021.


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