Renowned author shares new work, praised by Salman Rushdie as a “profound book….not ordinary but extraordinary”

Author and journalist Amitava Kumar shares his new book, My Beloved Life, an absorbing, moving novel that traces the arc of a man’s ordinary life, made exceptional by the fact that he has loved and has been loved in turn.

“Amitava Kumar oozes talent from every fiber of his being. His nonfiction—journalism, criticism, essay and memoir—digs deep; his artwork—sketches, collages and watercolors—are vibrant, immediate responses to the world around him. But it’s his fiction that has truly established him as one of the most perceptive, versatile, and wonder-filled minds of our time. From the searching, lustful adventures of a transplanted American in Immigrant, Montana to the autofictional A Time Outside This Time and now, the broad, elegiac canvas of My Beloved Life, his restless, unbridled imagination continues to astonish.” —Anderson Tepper

Purchase your own copy of Amitava’s book My Beloved Life at City of Asylum Bookstore.

About the Author:

Amitava Kumar was born in Ara, India, and grew up in the nearby town of Patna. He is the author of the novel Immigrant, Montana, as well as several other books of nonfiction and fiction. He lives in Poughkeepsie, New York, and teaches at Vassar College. 

About the Moderator:

Anderson Tepper is City of Asylum’s Curator of World Literature. He is a longstanding member of the international committee of the Brooklyn Book Festival and is a guest curator of the 2024 PEN AMERICA World Voices Festival. Formerly of Vanity Fair, he writes on books and authors for a variety of publications, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and World Literature Today. Anderson also serves on the City of Asylum Advisory Board.

About Your Visit: 

The in-house restaurant 40 North is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but a cash wine bar will be available.