Stephen Alter

Stephen Alter, born and raised in Mussoorie, writes with the soul of someone who belongs to the mountains. Author of over twenty-five books, his recent work—across fiction, non-fiction and children’s literature—draws deeply from the natural world, especially the Himalaya, which he returns to time and again with both wonder and intimacy. His latest non-fiction, The Cobra’s Gaze, is a lyrical, sharply observed journey into India’s wild heritage, while his most recent novel, The Greatest Game, imagines a sequel to Kim, set in the turbulent summer of 1947. For younger readers, he offers gems like If You Were a Tiger Cub, How the Cobra Got His Spectacles and The Little Lost Elephant—stories that carry the magic of fables and the quiet power of ecology. Whether it’s the biting humour of Death in Shambles, the philosophical undertones of Feral Dreams, or the meditative depth of Wild Himalaya and Becoming a Mountain, Stephen’s writing blends the elemental with the emotional, and always, always leads us back to the wild.