ABSTRACT
We address the question of who should be counted as an ‘authentic’ Pakistani author in the contemporary cosmopolitan literary market, considering arguments and counter-arguments for the inclusion of prominent authors on the basis of location (birth, residence), religion, and subject matter. Adopting a cultural materialist framework, the concept of ‘Brand Pakistan’ is proposed as a possible answer: ‘Pakistan’ (and so ‘Pakistani author’) is understood as a marketing category in global literary markets. The consequences of ‘Brand Pakistan’ are then considered in terms of self-exoticism and how it might encourage authors to pander to Western readers in order to find international success.
