Shahnaz Ahsan is an author and commentator. Her debut novel, Hashim & Family (John Murray Press) was named an Observer Best Book of 2020, longlisted for the Authors’ Club First Novel Prize, and shortlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker Prize. She is also an award-winning writer of short stories and screenplays.
Shahnaz is a columnist for Hyphen Online, and regularly contributes to Observer Food Monthly. Her articles have also appeared in Waitrose Magazine, The Daily Telegraph, and various online magazines.
Born and raised in West Yorkshire, she has lived in the UK, USA, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, but her flattened northern vowels remain victorious.
Image © Imogen Forte