Monica Ali is awarded a CBE in the King's Birthday Honours List

Monica Ali (Politics, Philosophy and Economics, 1986), has been honoured in the King's birthday honours list for 2024. Our alumna was awarded a CBE (Commanders of the Order of the British Empire) for Services to Literature.

Monica Ali is a bestselling writer whose work has been translated into 26 languages. She is the author of five books: Brick Lane, Alentejo Blue, In the Kitchen, Untold Story and Love Marriage. Monica was Chair of the judges for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

We welcomed Monica back to Wadham in March 2024 for our Alumni Society Dinner. She was interviewed by the Warden, Robert Hannigan, before the Q&A was opened up to a lively audience. Monica also joined us in 2022, when she spoke to our students about her life, career, and writing at an event chaired by the Warden, and our Professor of English and World Literature, Ankhi Mukherjee. During the visit, Monica was able to reunite with her old English Tutor, and to see her portrait, which hangs in Hall.

Many congratulations to Monica and to all those who received honours in the King's birthday list.