Megha Majumdar
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Subscriptions go on sale to new subscribers on June 26.
Library Leadership Circle members have presale access to new subscriptions on June 25.
Tickets to individual events go on sale in August.
Proceeds from this event benefit Hennepin County Library.
It takes a lot of courage to face who we truly are, and who we can truly be.
—Megha Majumdar
National Book Award Finalist
Megha Majumdar is the award-winning author of the stunning 2020 debut A Burning. Set in contemporary India, Majumdar explores what it feels like to face profound obstacles yet nurture big dreams in a country spinning towards extremism. The instant New York Times bestseller earned a Whiting Award, a National Book Award nomination, and a Read With Jenna Book Club selection.
Majumdar’s profound new novel, A Guardian and a Thief, was a finalist for the National Book Award, the winner of the American Library Association’s Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence, and an Oprah’s Book Club pick. In this book, Majumdar paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of two families, each operating from a place of ferocious love and undefeated hope, who simultaneously discover how far they will go to secure their children’s future amid encroaching catastrophe. Time calls it “A piercing and empathetic examination of the moral complexities of survival…and how love can blur the lines between right and wrong in the face of disaster.” A Guardian and a Thief was named a Best Book of 2025 by The Atlantic and Time, among others.
Born and raised in Kolkata, India, Majumdar now lives in New York. Her work has been supported by the Civitella Ranieri and Hawthornden foundations, in addition to other honors.
All in-person Pen Pals programs are held at the Hopkins Center for the Arts—offering great sound and sight lines for the entire house. Just 15 minutes from downtown Minneapolis and 28 minutes from Saint Paul, Hopkins Center for the Arts offers free convenient parking as well as numerous nearby restaurants. Please click the button below to download a detailed directions and parking guide.
Hopkin Center for the Arts
1111 Mainstreet
Hopkins, MN 55343
Ticket holders to both sessions of this event will automatically receive access to a virtual live stream of the evening lecture via Zoom. A personalized link will be sent to the email provided during purchase at least 24 hours prior to the evening event. In addition, a link to an on-demand recording will be sent to ticket holders via email the day following the evening event and will be available for viewing for three days. If you plan on joining the livestream event and have not used Zoom before, you may consider referencing Getting Started with Zoom.
Accessible parking and seating is available at all Pen Pals events. Captions are available for both in-person and virtual events, and assistive listening devices are available at in-person events. Read more about accessibility at Pen Pals here.
Books by Megha Majumdar at Hennepin County Library
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