Sherko FATAH

Sherko FATAH
2005 Resident
  • 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.

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Happening Now

  • We regret the passing, on April 11, 2024, of the distinguished Romanian author and critic Dan Cristea, who served as the editor in chief of the Luceafărul de Dimineață cultural monthly. In addition to being an alum of the 1985 Fall Residency, Cristea received his PhD in Comparative Literature at the University of Iowa.

  • Our congratulations to 1986 Fall Residency writer Kwame Dawes, who has been named the new poet laureate of Jamaica.

  • 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.

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