Exit West is the story of Saeed and Nadia. They are two young people who fall in love. Their unnamed city is descending into a brutal civil war. When their world begins to collapse around them, they discover a series of magical doors that transport them instantly to distant locations. This novel moves away from…
The narrative is framed as a suspenseful monologue delivered in a café in Lahore. Changez is a high-achieving Pakistani man who initially embraces the American corporate dream. However, after graduating from Princeton and securing a prestigious job in New York, his sense of belonging is shattered by the events of 9/11. At that moment, he…
Pap Khouma’s autobiographical novel I Was an Elephant Salesman (Io Venditore di Elefanti) is one of the earliest examples of migrant literature in Italy. The book recounts his experiences as a street vendor in Milan, navigating daily life in a bustling city while confronting racism and bureaucratic challenges.Khouma’s narrative combines sharp humour with self-reflection, offering…
[Eine Hand voller Sterne] Rafik Schami This novel, written in the form of a diary, captures the coming-of-age of a young boy in the old quarters of Damascus. Spanning three years, the narrative chronicles his transformation from a baker’s son into a young man with the soul of a journalist, driven by a desire to…
Two Blankets, Three Sheets is a deeply personal and often humorous account of life in a Dutch asylum reception centre. The novel draws on the author’s own experience: after arriving in the Netherlands as an asylum seeker, Rodaan Al Galidi was not granted access to formal language courses and therefore taught himself Dutch while waiting…
Rukhsana Ahmad This anthology brings together the work of several feminist Urdu poets who challenged the socio-religious restrictions in Pakistan during the 1970s and 80s. The title is taken from a poem by Kishwar Naheed, which acts as a manifesto of defiance against the “virtuous woman” archetype imposed by state-sponsored moral policing. The collection showcases…
Saif ur Rehman Raja’s Hijra is a powerful autobiographical novel that explores the complex intersection of migration, cultural displacement, and queer identity. Written from the perspective of an author who lived this reality, the book transforms a deeply painful personal journey into a dynamic act of self-definition, reclaiming agency over a life constantly labeled by…
Stevan Tontić’s Sarajevo Manuscript (Handschrift Aus Sarajevo), written after he fled the Bosnian War, offers a haunting reflection on the disintegration of a shared Yugoslav identity and the profound effects of exile. His poetry and essays convey the sorrow, confusion, and moral struggle of witnessing one’s homeland being destroyed while striving to remain true to…
[ʿUṣfūr min al-Šarq] Tawfiq al-Hakim A Bird of the East is a semi-autobiographical work between the spiritual heritage of the Orient and the materialism of the West. The novel follows Muhsin, a young Egyptian student living in Paris, whose life is surrounded by his passions for classical music and Russian literature. When he falls for…
[Mawsim al-hiǧra ilā al-šamāl] 1966 Originally written in Arabic and published in 1966, Season of the Migration to the North is a landmark of post-colonial literature. Set in a small village on the banks of the Nile in Sudan, this story follows an unnamed narrator who returns to his birthplace after years of studying in…
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