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Shandana Minhas
Shandana Minhas (born 26 October 1975, in Karachi, Pakistan) is a Pakistani writer.
Shandana Minhas is a Pakistani writer from Karachi who now lives in London.
Minhas is an Honorary Fellow in Writing of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. Minhas has an MA in prose fiction from the University of East Anglia, and was the recipient of the Malcolm Bradbury Memorial Scholarship.
Minhas's first novel,Tunnel Vision (2007), is a first-person meditation on life as a woman in a man's world. It was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, adapted for the stage by The Madras Players in 2009, and published in Italian as Pakistan Graffiti in 2012. It has been described as “piercingly witty and acutely perceptive” and a “silent bestseller”.
Her second novel, Survival Tips for Lunatics (2014), is a “bitingly funny” adventure in which a bickering couple accidentally leaves their two sons behind on a camping trip in Pakistan's turbulent Balochistan province. Alongside critical acclaim, it became the first children's book to win a general fiction prize in the region, taking the French Embassy's Karachi Literature Festival fiction prize (honouring the best writing by a Pakistani or a writer of Pakistani origin worldwide) in 2015.
Minhas's third novel, Daddy’s Boy (2016), tells the story of Asfandyar Ikram, who has no idea that his father is alive - until the day he learns of his death. The book was well-reviewed by The Hindustan Times (“…as hilarious as it is touching; one that’s totally bizarre while also being relatable”),Open Magazine (“The tension builds, tightening like a stretched elastic band, until the shocking denouement, which casts ambiguity on the very title of the book. Starting on a note of laughter, the ending of this gripping novel elicits a gasp of horror”), and multiple other publications. On the cover blurb, Pakistani author Mohammed Hanif called Daddy's Boy “heartbreaking and hilarious”.
Her fourth book, the novella Rafina (2018), was described in Dawn as “a stark portrayal of the lengths a young, ambitious and somewhat desperate young woman has to go to in order to fulfil her dreams and get financial security.” Minhas originally wrote the book in 2004.
Her fifth book, Ferdowsnama, was published by Vintage, Penguin India in February 2025. The book follows a Mughal hunting party as they track down wild threats in service of the Emperor. In advance praise, India historian and author Rana Safvi said “By turns humorous, moving and poignant, this beautifully crafted, if at times startling, novel not only captures the era but also highlights Ferdows's extraordinary resilence", and Pakistani writer Musharraf Ali Farooqi called it “riveting and magnificent.”
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Shandana Minhas
Shandana Minhas (born 26 October 1975, in Karachi, Pakistan) is a Pakistani writer.
Shandana Minhas is a Pakistani writer from Karachi who now lives in London.
Minhas is an Honorary Fellow in Writing of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. Minhas has an MA in prose fiction from the University of East Anglia, and was the recipient of the Malcolm Bradbury Memorial Scholarship.
Minhas's first novel,Tunnel Vision (2007), is a first-person meditation on life as a woman in a man's world. It was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, adapted for the stage by The Madras Players in 2009, and published in Italian as Pakistan Graffiti in 2012. It has been described as “piercingly witty and acutely perceptive” and a “silent bestseller”.
Her second novel, Survival Tips for Lunatics (2014), is a “bitingly funny” adventure in which a bickering couple accidentally leaves their two sons behind on a camping trip in Pakistan's turbulent Balochistan province. Alongside critical acclaim, it became the first children's book to win a general fiction prize in the region, taking the French Embassy's Karachi Literature Festival fiction prize (honouring the best writing by a Pakistani or a writer of Pakistani origin worldwide) in 2015.
Minhas's third novel, Daddy’s Boy (2016), tells the story of Asfandyar Ikram, who has no idea that his father is alive - until the day he learns of his death. The book was well-reviewed by The Hindustan Times (“…as hilarious as it is touching; one that’s totally bizarre while also being relatable”),Open Magazine (“The tension builds, tightening like a stretched elastic band, until the shocking denouement, which casts ambiguity on the very title of the book. Starting on a note of laughter, the ending of this gripping novel elicits a gasp of horror”), and multiple other publications. On the cover blurb, Pakistani author Mohammed Hanif called Daddy's Boy “heartbreaking and hilarious”.
Her fourth book, the novella Rafina (2018), was described in Dawn as “a stark portrayal of the lengths a young, ambitious and somewhat desperate young woman has to go to in order to fulfil her dreams and get financial security.” Minhas originally wrote the book in 2004.
Her fifth book, Ferdowsnama, was published by Vintage, Penguin India in February 2025. The book follows a Mughal hunting party as they track down wild threats in service of the Emperor. In advance praise, India historian and author Rana Safvi said “By turns humorous, moving and poignant, this beautifully crafted, if at times startling, novel not only captures the era but also highlights Ferdows's extraordinary resilence", and Pakistani writer Musharraf Ali Farooqi called it “riveting and magnificent.”