Two queer Afghan men, each forced away from home by circumstances beyond their control, find themselves in Istanbul, where their paths cross in unexpected ways. Bobuq Sayed’s debut novel, No God But Us, follows Delbar, an aspiring drag queen who leaves his family in Washington DC after being outed, and Mansur, who has left Tehran and is trying to build a life in Istanbul while supporting the family he left behind.
In this episode of the Southasia Review of Books podcast, Sayed discusses the novel’s exploration of migration, queerness, borders, language and identity, and the political and personal forces that shape the choices we’re able to make.
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Episode notes:
bobuq sayed
Taran N Khan
Aunohita Mojumdar