Discontent and Its Civilizations

Nov 29, 2025 7:54 PM

Author:Mohsin Hamid,Mohsin Hamid

Brought to you by Penguin.

Discontent and its Civilizations collects the best of Mohsin Hamid's writing on subjects as diverse and wide-ranging as Pakistan; fatherhood; the death of Osama Bin Laden and the writing of The Reluctant Fundamentalist.

Unified by the author's humane, clear-headed and witty voice, the book makes a compelling case for recognizing our common humanity while relishing our diversity - both as readers and citizens; for resisting the artificial mono-identities of religion or nationality or race; and for always judging a country or nation by how it treats its minorities, as 'Each individual human being is, after all, a minority of one'.

Reviews

Accessible, wise and beautifully clear

—— Metro

Mohsin Hamid is reasonable, intelligent...in short, just the sort of commentator the world could do with right now

—— Independent

Smart doesn't begin to describe Hamid; he is the sort of thinker that could change hearts and minds

—— Booklist

In contrast with the debased language of extremism, militarism and nationalism, his is a humane and rational voice demanding a better future

—— Sunday Times

Lucid, informative and drily funny, these essays show that Hamid is one of the most perceptive commentators on contemporary global politics

—— Sunday Telegraph

One of the most talented writers of his generation

—— Daily Telegraph

Mohsin Hamid is a master critic of the modern global condition, using humanization, wit, parody and other devices to examine how the fast pace of social and economic change has affected the individual

—— Foreign Policy

Elegantly crafted . . . will delight devotees of his work, and intrigue newcomers. Hamid makes a compelling case for pushing back against the mono-identities of religion, nationality and race and for embracing the things that all human beings share.

—— Prospect

The new voice of a changing continent. A writer at the top of his game

—— Metro

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