Sherko FATAH

Sherko FATAH
  • Europe
  • Western Europe
  • Germany
German

Sherko FATAH, the son of an Iraqi Kurd father and a German mother, grew up in Berlin but often visited Iraq for extended periods of time, impressions of which influence much of his work. His first novel, Im Grenzland ('At the Borderline'), is the story of a smuggler operating in the border triangle between Iraq, Iran, and Turkey. The book won the 2001 Aspekt Prize, which recognizes the best German debut novel. His subsequent works, Donnie and Onkelchen, continue to explore the bitter tension, displacement, and violence he observed in the Middle East. He participates courtesy of generous donations to the IWP Writers Fund.

Happening Now

  • Congratulations to our colleagues Jennifer Croft and Aron Aji, who are among those serving as judges for the National Book Awards this year, in their case in the category of translated literature.

  • Ranjit Hoskote’s speech at the 2024 Goa Literary Festival addresses the current situation in Gaza.

  • In NY Times, Bina Shah worries about the state of Pakistani—and American—democracy.

  • “I went to [Ayodhya] to think about what it means to be an Indian and a Hindu... ”  A new essay by critic and novelist Chandrahas Choudhury.

  • In the January 2024 iteration of the French/English non-fiction site Frictions, T J Benson writes about “Riding Afrobeats Across the World.” Also new, a next installment in the bilingual series featuring work by students from Paris VIII’s Creative Writing program and the University of Iowa’s NFW program.

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