Yumna Kassab

‘that wildly inventive scriptomaniac’—The Guardian, Australian books to look forward to in 2026When she finally left, like properly totally completely left,it shouldn’t have come as a surprise.The signs were there.Amina's marriage to Amin was supposed to be a new beginning, instead, it became an inescapable end. Even after the divorce, the shadow of their relationship clings to her, defining her...

Shortlisted for the University Of Queensland Fiction Book Award ‘The real deal.’ – Favel Parrett, author of Past the Shallows and There Was Still Love 'Kassab creates an eerie sense of place as the reader is drawn into myriad perspectives and geographies. Without doubt Australiana is an unnerving contribution to contemporary novel writing in this continent.'​ - Books + Publishing...

LONGLISTED FOR THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARD SHORTLISTED FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND FICTION BOOK AWARD ‘a compelling, intricate and multifaceted tale’ – The Saturday Paper Politica can’t make war make sense (what can?), but it does offer a small balm. In her book, Kassab looks horror in the eye, dignifies private desires and grieves their loss, and in doing...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARD SHORTLISTED FOR THE PRIME MINISTER'S LITERARY AWARD FOR FICTION SHORTLISTED FOR THE VICTORIAN PREMIER’S AWARD FOR FICTION ‘her writing is poetic and reverential. The author’s understanding of love, romance and of responsibility runs deep.’ – Books + Publishing What happens when we become used to each other, when we become bored, when we...

In The Theory of Everything, Kassab realises the potential and fulfils the promise of her earlier work. This is a writer at her intellectual and poetic peak. Innovative, ambitious, unapologetically intellectual, fearlessly honest, deeply emotional. Read this book – you will be changed. – Shankari Chandran, Miles Franklin–award winning author of Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens Good News: The worst...

Shortlisted for the 2020 NSW Premier's Literary Awards UTS Glenda Adas Award for New Writing Longlisted for the Stella Prize 2020 Shortlisted for the 2020 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards: Fiction The House of Youssef is a collection of short stories set in Western Sydney. The stories explore the lives of Lebanese migrants who have settled in the area, circling around...

In thinking about the dictionary, I ask what is the dictionary here. It is me and my memories. The dictionary is Parramatta itself as the place that is the backdrop to my memories. As the inaugural laureate, Yumna Kassab set herself the task of collecting her observations and thoughts on living in Parramatta, now one of the country's most important...