In January, I recommended some books that I posited will improve one’s deen, and I also deconstructed the idea that only non-fictional books can give this desired result. Rekiya and Z by Muti’ah Badruddeen is one such fictional account that fits
Layla owned one medium-sized pot, which she used to cook absolutely everything. Not because she didn’t have any other pots – there were a range of other sizes, colours and brands stacked haphazardly onto the
The inspiration for Victoria Princewill’s debut novel was the first person account of Jamila Habashi, an enslaved African woman in Iran. A letter written by Jamila, dated 1905, is included in the book and is
I find myself in spaces Where my tongue cannot not dance With our eyes wide shut Reality is scorned Only to be disguised as fiction, Fiction as reality. News! The paperboy glides down
This novel embodies radical empathy. It’s radical to understand the lives of the radicalised; to understand what it is that made them take their path. Fatima Bhutto gives a counter-narrative of three radicalised teenagers that
The latest episode of world affairs has divided a complex world into a simplistic Manichean binary. On one side stand a party that poses as vanguards of freedom; and on the other side stands the
We sat down with author, translator and editor Abdussabur Kirke to discuss fiction, storytelling and the art of writing. HIKAAYAT: You’ve recently published Aydin – a novel. Tell us about your journey as a
If you’re keen to dedicate some time in the new decade to reading works of fiction - allow me to suggest exploring the following list. You may have seen my top 10 fiction books of