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Mirza Waheed on writing beyond the radicalisation story

The Kashmiri-British writer discusses his new novel ‘Maryam & Son’, the language of bureaucracy and surveillance, and the intimate lives that exist past the headlines

Mirza Waheed on writing beyond the radicalisation story

What does it mean to reckon with loss when there are no clear answers? In Maryam & Son, Mirza Waheed explores that question through the story of Maryam Ali, a mother in London whose son disappears and is drawn into a distant conflict in Iraq. As she waits for answers, the novel moves between memory and grief, tracing what happens when the certainties of motherhood begin to unravel and private grief collides with public narratives. Waheed is the author of four acclaimed novels, including The Collaborator, The Book of Gold Leaves and Tell Her Everything. His work has been widely recognised for its explorations of conflict, memory and belonging, particularly in relation to Kashmir. 

In this episode of the Southasia Review of Books podcast, Waheed discusses his new novel, exploring motherhood, grief and the ways in which the media transforms deeply personal tragedies into public spectacle. 

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Episode notes: 

Maryam & Son - Mirza Waheed
Mirza Waheed is a Kashmiri-British novelist, essayist and author of The Collaborator, The Book of Gold Leaves, Tell Her Everything. His writings have appeared in the BBC, The Guardian, Granta, Guernica (magazine), Time magazine, Al Jazeera English and The New York Times.
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