Meet the shortlist: Michael Mohammed Ahmad

The Tribe is one of the six books included on our inaugural Readings New Australian Writing Award shortlist. Here we ask Michael Mohammed Ahmad five quick questions.


If you were opening your own bookshop, what are three titles that would always be kept on your shelves?

The Autobiography Of Malcolm X by Malcolm X; The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran; Carpentaria by Alexis Wright.

What’s the strangest piece of advice you’ve ever been given as a writer? (And did it work?)

It’s the same strange advice every time. That I should ‘tone it down’. Be less angry and be more accessible. I interpret that to mean less Arab and more Anglo. I don’t know if it would work because I never listen.

Do you remember the first book that made you want to be a writer?

I grew up in an environment where the people around me were not fortunate enough to have literature and even basic literacy in their lives. It was not a book that made me want to be a writer. It was the absence of books that did it for me.

Do you listen to music while you write? Why or why not?

I listen to verses from The Holy Qur'an when I write. It keeps me connected with my people, those of the past who shared their knowledge through oral literacy, and those of the present who are currently suffering at the hands of imperialism. The words of Allah remind me that there is a purpose for my work.

If The Tribe were made into a film, who would you like to see in the starring role?

Anyone – as long as they are willing to do it without putting on an ethnic accent.


To celebrate our our inaugural New Australian Writing (NAW) Award shortlist, we’re inviting everyone to take part in our NAW Reading Challenge! Find out more here.

Cover image for The Tribe

The Tribe

Michael Mohammed Ahmad

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