Tamim Ansary

A child of both Middle Eastern and Westenr cultures, Tamim Ansary authored the literary memoir West of Kabul, East of New York and Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes, which The Kite Runner author Khaled Hosseini called “a must-read.”

A regular columnist for Microsoft’s learning site Encarta.com, Ansary has written everything from nonfiction books for children and jokes for a mathematics program (“edutainment” software) to a literary memoir, several novels for “reluctant readers,” and a series of educational comic books called Adventures Plus. His commentary has been heard on The Bill Moyers Show, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Hardball, as well as on numerous NPR stations.

Named after Tamim-i-Ansar, one of two brothers who conquered Afghanistan for Islam 1,200 years ago, Ansary grew up in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, where his father taught science and literature at Kabul University and his American mother taught English at a school for girls. The family eventually moved to Lashkargah, a small town in the middle of the desert in southwestern Afghanistan, the headquarters of a vast American-funded project to make the desert bloom.

In 1964, Ansary got a scholarship to an American high school, Colorado Rocky Mountain School, and moved to the United States. Six years later he graduated with honors from Reed College and soon thereafter plunged into the sixties counterculture like a dog into surf; he wrote for an “alternative” weekly called The Portland Scribe, lived in communes, worked in restaurants, wrote obscure, experimental fiction, and quit his job often in order to hit the road seeking adventure.

It was after the events of 9/11, when Ansary penned a passionate email to friends, that he was thrust into the spotlight. Describing his feelings about war between the United States and Afghanistan, and sharing his perspectives of a country that seemingly little was known about, the email was forwarded all around the world and elicited great response.

Ansary has since been drawing readers into the rich past, present and future of middle eastern cultures through his informative, fascinating writing – writing that has been lauded for helping us make sense of the political debates and conflicts of today.