Born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a city that was then part of Yugoslavia, Hemon's early life was marked by a passion for writing, which he pursued at the University of Sarajevo. By the time he was 26, he had already established himself as a published writer in his native country.
However, his life took a dramatic turn in 1992, when he found himself stranded in the United States as a tourist, following the outbreak of war in Bosnia. This unexpected turn of events led him to explore various careers, including working as a Greenpeace canvasser, sandwich assembly-line worker, bike messenger, and ESL teacher.
Despite these challenges, Hemon's writing continued to flourish, and he went on to earn his master's degree from Northwestern University in 1996. He was awarded the prestigious MacArthur Foundation grant and published his first story in English, "The Life and Work of Alphonse Kauders," in Triquarterly in 1995.
Hemon's work has since appeared in numerous publications, including Triquarterly, Chicago Review, Ploughshares, The New Yorker, Esquire, and The Paris Review. He has also been recognized for his bi-weekly column, "Hemonwood," which he writes and publishes in Bosnian for the Sarajevo-based magazine, BH Dani (BH Days).
Today, Hemon is a professor of creative writing at Princeton University, where he lives with his second wife, Teri Boyd, and their daughters Ella and Esther. Tragedy struck the family in 2010, when their 1-year-old daughter Isabel passed away due to complications associated with a brain tumor. Hemon wrote a poignant essay, "The Aquarium," about Isabel's death, which was published in The New Yorker in 2011.
Throughout his life, Hemon has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to his craft, and his work continues to be celebrated for its unique blend of humor, pathos, and insight into the human experience.
