I was gifted The Carpet Weaver on my birthday by a close friend. It was the third consecutive year that he gave a book based on LGBTQ characters; the first one being ‘Funny Boy’ and the second was ‘Cobalt Blue’. Before these books my literary world consisted solely of straight characters. Darcys and Lizzys, Latas and Maans, Ifemelus and Obinzes.
Like many others, I was blissfully unaware of the existence of a queer community of literary protagonists. So when I read about the life of a young gay boy growing up in Pre-Soviet invasion Afghanistan, I was awed. The personal politics intertwining with the politics of Kabul made for a gripping read. I finished the book hoping that the author Nemat Sadat would write a sequel to it soon, but it seems that he had other plans.
Nemat Sadat’s upcoming book is about a gay, vegan spiritual warrior and based in United States. Find out more about his work-both old and upcoming in episode 36 of Abstract AF’s Podcast Show.
