Stephen Alter

Stephen Alter is an American author born in Mussoorie, India, whose extensive body of work, comprising over twenty books of fiction and non-fiction, primarily focuses on the Indian Himalayas. He explores the region's natural history, folklore, and mountain culture. Alter, who holds an Overseas Citizenship of India, has taught at the American University in Cairo and served as a writer-in-residence at MIT. He is a recipient of numerous honors, including fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Fulbright Program. His book, Wild Himalaya: A Natural History of the Greatest Mountain Range on Earth, received the 2020 Banff Mountain Book Award and the 2021 Kekoo Naoroji Award for Himalayan Literature.