Qais Akbar Omar

Qais Akbar Omar is a writer whose work explores the human experience of modern Afghanistan. He is the author of A Fort of Nine Towers: An Afghan Family Story, a memoir translated into more than twenty languages. The book was selected as an Editor’s Choice by The New York Times Book Review, named a Washington Post Notable Book, and recognized as one of the Best Books of the Year by The Seattle Times and Kirkus Reviews. It was also a finalist for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing.

Omar is also the co-author of A Night in the Emperor’s Garden, which was shortlisted for the Sheridan Morley Prize for Theatre Biography and adapted for BBC Radio 3. His essays, short stories, and journalism have appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, The Sunday Times, The Globe and Mail, The Cairo Review of Global Affairs, The Southern Review, AGNI, The Hopkins Review, The Markaz Review, Guernica, and other publications.

Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, Omar earned a BA in Journalism from Kabul University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Boston University. He was a Visiting Scholar at the University of Colorado Boulder and a Scholars at Risk Fellow at Harvard University. Before and alongside his literary career, he worked with USAID and the Asian Development Bank, supporting Afghanistan’s carpet industry and artisan communities.