Fatin Abbas at Saaleschule für (H)alle

Fatin Abbas held a workshop at the Saaleschule für (H)alle in Halle on June 16, 2023. In the first of the two parts of the workshop, Abbas talked about her personal biography; moving from Sudan to the US at eight years old, finding inspiration through novels such as Chinua Achebe’s ‚Things Fall Apart‘, and experiencing various cultures first-hand.

The students were especially eager to learn about Fatin Abbas‘ novel „GHOST SEASON“. The second part of the workshop featured writing assignments, all of which were based on Abbas‘ own work as well as Ursula K. Le Guin’s short story „The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas“. Focusing on the concept of place, the students were asked to answer questions about Le Guin’s short story, and describe a place familiar to them. The tasks were received with great interest, and many volunteered to read aloud.

Fatin Abbas, born in Khartum, Sudan and raised in New York, is the author of „GHOST SEASON: A NOVEL“, which will be published in Germany by Rowohlt in 2024. Her short fiction was published in Granta, Freeman’s, The Warwick Review, and Friction. Essays and journalist work have appeared in The Guardian, Le Monde diplomatique, ZEIT Online, and others. ​

Abbas earned a PhD in Comparative Literature from Harvard University and a MFA in Creative Writing from Hunter College, the City University of New York, where she was also awarded both the Bernard Cohen Short Story Prize and the Miriam Weinberg Richter Award for her writing.

Photography: Andreas Lamm.