Qais Akbar Omar

M.F.A - Creative Writing (Fiction)
Boston University - 2014

B.A. - Journalism
Kabul University - 2004

“A Brief History of Theatre in Afghanistan” - Forthcoming Book Chapter

“Shakespeare in Kabul” - Forthcoming Book Chapter / Encyclopedia Entry

“I Hate WhatsApp” 2024 - Essay / Commentary

“The Social Media Kids” 2024 - Short Story

 “After Enduring War in Afghanistan, I Think It’s a Mistake to Arm Ukraine” 2022 - Essay / Commentary

“The Sudden Change” 2020 - Short Story

“A Bag of Barley” 2019 - Short Story

“The Small Statue of Lenin’s Head” 2017 - Short Story

Shortlisted - Sheridan Morley Prize for Theatre Biography

Finalist - William Saroyan International Prize for Writing

Honor Book (Finalist) - Massachusetts Book Awards, Massachusetts Center for the Book

Honorable Mention - Middle East Book Award

Editors’ Choice - The New York Times Book Review

Notable Book - The Washington Post

Best Books of the Year - Kirkus Reviews

Best Books of the Year - The Seattle Times

Lecturer in Creative Writing
The University of Texas at Dallas [2026–Present]
Teaches fiction and creative writing in the Bass School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology.

Fellow, Scholars at Risk Program
Harvard University [2014–2015]
Scholars at Risk Fellow pursuing writing, research, and academic exchange.

Instructor of Record
Boston University [2013–2013]
Instructor of record for Introduction to Creative Writing.

Visiting Scholar
University of Colorado Boulder [2007–2007]
Visiting Scholar engaged in academic exchange, research, and invited lectures.

The Sixth Night

Novel in progress exploring memory, identity, and history.

Untold Narratives

Literary initiative supporting emerging Afghan women writers in Afghanistan and the diaspora through editorial guidance, translation, and publication in literary journals.

Harvard University — Seminars and Presentations

Seminars and presentations on literature, writing, and contemporary Afghanistan during the Scholars at Risk Fellowship.

Royal Shakespeare Company — World Shakespeare Festival

Presented at the World Shakespeare Festival on Shakespeare in Afghanistan and cross-cultural performance.

Folger Shakespeare Library — Invited Presentation

Invited presentation on Shakespeare in Kabul and Shakespeare in Afghanistan.

Christ Church, University of Oxford — Invited Lecture

Invited lecture on Shakespeare in Kabul, cultural exchange, and literary adaptation.

University of Colorado Boulder — Invited Lecture

Invited lecture as part of the Shakespeare's Foreign Worlds initiative.

Qais Akbar Omar's writing explores memory, culture, displacement, and the ways literature bears witness to individual and collective histories.

He is the author of A Fort of Nine Towers, translated into more than twenty languages. The book was selected as an Editors' Choice by The New York Times Book Review, named a Washington Post Notable Book, and recognized as one of the year's best books by Kirkus Reviews and The Seattle Times. It was a finalist for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing and the Massachusetts Book Awards and received an Honorable Mention for the Middle East Book Award. He is also the co-author of A Night in the Emperor's Garden, which was shortlisted for the Sheridan Morley Prize for Theatre Biography and adapted for BBC Radio.

Omar's fiction, essays, and journalism have appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, The Sunday Times, AGNI, The Southern Review, The Hopkins Review, The Markaz Review, Guernica, and other publications. His scholarly work includes chapters in the Stanford Global Shakespeare Encyclopedia and the Routledge volume Asian Theater Then and Now.

Omar holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Boston University and a BA in Journalism from Kabul University.

Scholars at Risk Network

International network supporting scholars facing threats to academic freedom. Omar was affiliated with the network during his Scholars at Risk Fellowship at Harvard University.