Abbas Khadir is an Iraqi-German author and poet of Iraqi origin. He was imprisoned for his political activism against the regime of Saddam Hussein, and took refuge in a number of countries before he was granted asylum in Germany, namely Berlin, in 2000, where he continues to live. He is mostly known for his four novels, "The Village Indian,” “The President's Oranges,” “Letter to the Aubergine Republic” and “A Slap in the Face,” to which he received several literary prizes and scholarships, including, most recently, the Adelbert von Chamisso Prize.
During his stay in Germany, Khadir gained the necessary qualifications in order to get admitted to university. In five years’ time, he successfully completed studying in three different educational institutions; which were, an Arabic school, an online school, and a college-preparatory school. He then enrolled in University of Munich and University of Potsdam, where he studied literature and philosophy, correspondingly.
Before arriving at Germany, Khadir made his living off temporary jobs. Upon being granted asylum in Germany, he started his writing profession. In addition to the monetary and institutional support, Khadir was awarded literary prizes and scholarships, which expanded his audience.
In 2014, and in cooperation with a number of writers, Khadir organized “Cairo Short Stories” writers’ workshop for outstanding young writers at the Goethe-Institut Ägypten. Out of the 108 participants who submitted their short stories, eleven candidates were shortlisted, and three won. The goal of the workshop was to assist the candidates in their development process as writers by giving them tips and pieces of advice. In return, Khadir and the other writers will get to learn about the candidates’ experience as writers influenced by the German and Arab cultures.
In 2017, which was the same year he was nominated for the Mainzer Stadtschreiber literary award, Khadir completed two additional manuscripts, one of which was a humorous exploration of the German language, and the other a novel.
Khadir is currently hosting a number of reading projects in European and non-European countries. He, too, wishes to have his German novels translated, and to work on publishing more books.
