Suhayl Saadi (born 1961,

Beverley Beverley is a market and minster town and a civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre and north-west of City of Hull. The town is known for ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

) is a physician, author and

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

based in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

, Scotland. His varied literary output includes novels, short stories,

anthologies In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically catego ...

of fiction, song lyrics, plays for stage and radio theatre, and wisdom pieces for ''The Dawn Patrol,'' the

Sarah Kennedy Sarah Mary Kennedy MBE (born 8 July 1950) is a British retired TV and radio broadcaster. She presented her daily early morning radio show, ''The Dawn Patrol'', on BBC Radio 2 from 1993 to 2010. In the 2005 Queen's Birthday Honours, Kennedy ...

show on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content ...

. Saadi was born in

to Pakistani parents in 1961.

Works

Saadi's 2004 novel, ''Psychoraag,'' which won a

PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award The PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award is for U.S. multicultural writers, to "promote works of excellence by writers of all cultural and racial backgrounds and to educate both the public and the media as to the nature of multicultural work. ...

, was also shortlisted for the

James Tait Black Memorial Prize The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, U ...

and nominated for both the

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...

and the National Literary Award (the Patras Bokhari Prize) in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. The Scottish Book Trust designated ''Psychoraag'' one of the 100 Best Scottish Books of all time. The French translation was released in November 2007 by the Paris-based publisher Éditions Métailié. Suhayl Saadi has written about subjects as diverse as

psychedelic music Psychedelic music (sometimes called psychedelia) is a wide range of popular music styles and genres influenced by 1960s psychedelia, a subculture of people who used psychedelic drugs such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, mescaline, and cannabis ...

Sufism Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

, the British

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speakin ...

, the future of creativity, and the relationship of literature to

global politics Global politics, also known as world politics, names both the discipline that studies the political and economic patterns of the world and the field that is being studied. At the centre of that field are the different processes of political globa ...

, for many

periodical A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar example is a newspaper, but a magazine or a journal are also exampl ...

s, including ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...

,'' ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...

,'' '' The Herald,'' ''

The Sunday Herald The ''Sunday Herald'' was a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published between 7 February 1999 and 2 September 2018. Originally a broadsheet, it was published in compact format from 20 November 2005. The paper was known for having combined a cent ...

,'' ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its pa ...

,'' and ''

Spike Magazine ''Spike Magazine'' is an internet cultural journal which began in 1995, founded by its editor Chris Mitchell in Brighton, England. Updated monthly, its motto is "picking the brains of popular culture", though it has an intellectual inclination. ...

,'' and for the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh la ...

. His short story collection, ''The Burning Mirror,'' was shortlisted for the

Saltire Society The Saltire Society is a membership organisation which aims to promote the understanding of the culture and heritage of Scotland. Founded in 1936, the society was "set up to promote and celebrate the uniqueness of Scottish culture and Scotland’s ...

First Book Prize in 2001. Saadi has written stage and radio plays including ''The Dark Island'', ''The White Cliffs'' and ''Saame Sita.'' He has edited or co-edited a number of

including ''Shorts: The Macallan

Scotland on Sunday ''Scotland on Sunday'' is a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published in Edinburgh by JPIMedia and consequently assuming the role of Sunday sister to its daily stablemate ''The Scotsman''. It was originally printed in broadsheet format but in 2013 ...

Short Story Collection;'' ''

A Fictional Guide to Scotland ''A Fictional Guide to Scotland'' is a collection of short stories and one poem from 17 writers who were either Scottish by birth or lived in Scotland at the time of submission. The pieces which made it into the book were selected through an ano ...

;'' and ''Freedom Spring: Ten Years On,'' a compilation of new writing from South Africa and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. He has appeared widely on television, radio and in public literary readings and is currently working on another novel. Suhayl Saadi has also written song

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer ...

for classical and folk-rock musical ensembles, including the Edinburgh-based

Dunedin Consort Dunedin Consort is Scotland's leading baroque ensemble based in Edinburgh, Scotland, recognised for its vivid and insightful performances and recordings. Formed in 1995 and named after Din Eidyn, the ancient Brittonic Celtic name of Edinburgh Cast ...

, and for the Africa-centred

World AIDS Day World AIDS Day, designated on 1 December every year since 1988, is an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection and mourning those who have died of the disease. The acquired immun ...

Project Paradisum. His work has appeared in translation in anthologies, as in 2006 in German in ''Cool Britannia'' (Al Kennedy, ed.

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

: Verlag Klaus Wagenbach). Among more recent works, Saadi wrote the libretto for ''Queens of Govan'', one of five short operas commissioned in 2007 by the

Scottish Opera Scottish Opera is the national opera company of Scotland, and one of the five national performing arts companies of Scotland. Founded in 1962 and based in Glasgow, it is the largest performing arts organisation in Scotland. History Scottish O ...

for its 2008 "Five:15" project. Saadi is a board member and co-director of the arts production company Heer Productions Limited, which established the Pakistani Film, Media and Arts Festival in the United Kingdom in 2005. During the month of October 2008, Saadi was the

Writer-in-Residence at

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , presi ...

in Washington, D.C.
GWU Press release
A novel, ''Joseph's Box'', inspired by the Biblical/Quranic account of Joseph and Potiphar's wife, was published by Two Ravens Press in August 2009 and was nominated for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2011. The novel is set in Scotland, England, Sicily and Pakistan.

Bibliography

;Books *2009: ''Joseph's Box.'' Ullapool: Two Ravens Press. Paperback: . * 2004: ''Psychoraag.'' Edinburgh: Black & White Publishing. Hardcover: . Paperback: . * 2004: ''The White Cliffs.'' Dingwall: Sandstone Press. . * 2001: ''The Burning Mirror.'' Edinburgh: Polygon Books. Paperback: , . * 1997: ''The Snake.'' (Under the pen name Melanie Desmoulins.) Creation Books. Paperback: . ;Plays * 2006: ''Garden of the Fourteenth Moon.'' * 2005: ''The White Cliffs.'' Glasgow. * 2004: ''The Dark Island.'' London,

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...

. * 2003: ''Saame Sita.'' Edinburgh. ;Librettos * 2007: ''Queens of Govan'', libretto,

Five:15 project. ;Anthologies * 2005: ''Freedom Spring: Ten Years On.'' Editors: Suhayl Saadi, Catherine McInerney.

New Lanark New Lanark is a village on the River Clyde, approximately 1.4 miles (2.2 kilometres) from Lanark, in Lanarkshire, and some southeast of Glasgow, Scotland. It was founded in 1785 and opened in 1786 by David Dale, who built cotton mills and housi ...

: Waverley Books. Paperback: , . * 2003: ''

.'' Editors: Meaghan Delahunt, Suhayl Saadi, Elizabeth Reeder. Glasgow: OpenInk. Paperback: , . * 2003: ''Shorts: The Macallan

Short Story Collection.'' Editor: Suhayl Saadi. Edinburgh: Polygon Books. Paperback: , . Saadi was also a contributor to ''Pax Edina: The One O' Clock Gun Anthology'' (Edinburgh, 2010) ;Novellas * 2006: ''The Saelig Tales.'' In ''Magic Afoot,'' the first print edition of ''Textualities'' magazine. , . * 2005: ''The Aerodrome.''

Dingwall Dingwall ( sco, Dingwal, gd, Inbhir Pheofharain ) is a town and a royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,491. It was an east-coast harbour that now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest cas ...

: Sandstone Press. Published online . * 2006: ''The White Cliffs.''

: Sandstone Press. Paperback , . * 2008: ''The Spanish House''. Published online by the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

Association for Scottish Literary Studies The Association for Scottish Literary Studies (ASLS) is a Scottish educational charity, founded in 1970 to promote and support the teaching, study and writing of Scottish literature. Its founding members included the Scottish literary scholar Ma ...

in its biannual

ezine An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a print magazine format to being online only was the computer maga ...

''The Bottle Imp''.

References

External links

→ ''Note on web searches: Saadi will occasionally be found misspelled as Saadhi.''
Suhayl Saadi website

Joseph's Box website

on

Laura Hird Laura Hird (born 1966) is a List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and short story writer. Hird studied Contemporary Writing at Middlesex Polytechnic and is the author of two novels, ''Nail and Other Stories'' (1997) and ''Born Free'' ( ...

's website.
Scots Today
by John Corbett for

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

Voices.
'

on the Devolving Diasporas project sponsored by the

Arts and Humanities Research Council The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), formerly Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB), is a British research council, established in 1998, supporting research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities. History The Arts a ...

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick unive ...

, and the

University of Stirling The University of Stirling (, gd, Oilthigh Shruighlea (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built ...

. * 5 October 2006. Reviews and interviews relating to the novel, ''Joseph's Box'' can be located at the following sites:
3am magazinekitaabonline magazineThe List magazineEdinburgh FestivalsScotland on SundayThe Herald newspaperVulpes Libris magazine

Cargo Publishing podcast interview

Feature documentary about Saadi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saadi, Suhayl 1961 births Living people Scottish writers People associated with Glasgow Scottish people of Pakistani descent People from Beverley Scottish dramatists and playwrights Scottish opera librettists British writers of Pakistani descent PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award winners