Dr. Zahir Hasan
Novelist, children's author, and a scholar of politics, law and education. Canadian by passport, Tokyo by address.
The writing came out of the teaching
Zahir Hasan grew up between China, Singapore and Denmark before studying in the United States and Europe. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics and political science, master's degrees in public policy and administration and in law, and a doctorate in education. He teaches at universities in Tokyo, where he has lived and worked for many years.
The political books began as the explanations he wished his students could find in one place: fully referenced, but written to be read. The children's books began at home. The fantasy and science fiction is the part he would have written first if the day had been longer.
All of his books are published by Maple & Pine Press, the small independent press he founded in Tokyo. The maple is for Canada, the pine for Japan.
Beyond the books
He founded and leads Movement for Action, a Tokyo-based non-profit working on education for children in Asia, Africa and Latin America, with a particular focus on keeping girls in school.
He also builds apps and browser games: dinosaur battles, a baseball duel, puzzles for small hands, and study tools for learners of English.
Four kinds of books
Fantasy & Science Fiction
Dragons, courts and conspiracies, machines that remember.
Children's Books
Illustrated stories, first workbooks, two middle-grade series.
Politics, Law & International Affairs
Power, sovereignty, conflict, and the struggle over truth.
Education & Practical Guides
Teaching in the age of AI, academic English, everyday law.
Hear About the Next Book First
One short email when a new title is out: fantasy, a children's story, or a new look at the politics of the day. No noise in between.