In partnership with Multnomah County Library and The Library Foundation, Literary Arts is proud to present a lecture by Mohsin Hamid, author of Exit West, as the culminating event of the 16th annual Everybody Reads. A love story set in an unnamed country in the middle of civil war, Exit West follows two remarkable characters as they escape from their home into the uncertain embrace of new lands through a set of mysterious doors. This timely novel examines the global refugee crisis with a twist of magic realism, showing us that we are all migrants through time.

Celebrate the power of books to create a stronger community.

Reserve your seat at the Everybody Reads event with Mohsin Hamid today.

About Exit West: A love story set in an unnamed country in the middle of civil war, Exit West follows two remarkable migrants Saeed and Nadia as they escape from their home into the uncertain embrace of new lands. This timely novel examines the global refugee crisis with a twist of magic realism, showing us that we are all migrants through time.

About the author: Mohsin Hamid is a Pakistani writer. He is the author of four novels, Moth Smoke (2000), The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007), How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia (2013), and Exit West (2017), and a book of essays, Discontent and Its Civilizations (2014). His writing has been featured on bestseller lists, adapted for the cinema, shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize (The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Exit West), shortlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award (Moth Smoke), selected as winner or finalist of twenty awards, and translated into thirty-five languages. 

Special thanks to our event sponsors: A to Z Wineworks, Powell's Books, Inc., The Standard, AHA Agency, Oregon Public Broadcasting- OPB, and The Oregonian.