Shubnum Khan is a South African author and artist. Her novel The Lost Love of Akbar Manzil (The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years) (2024), is a USA Today bestseller, a New York Times Editor’s Choice, and was named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2024. It was also longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award and won the 2025 HSS Award for Best Novel. She has been a fellow at Writers OMI (New York), Swatch Art Peace Hotel (Shanghai), and Jack Jones Literary Arts. Shubnum serves on the board of Imbiza Journal and mentors through the Led By Foundation. Her work has appeared in major publications including The New York Times and O, The Oprah Magazine. She lives in Durban.