30^th Leukerbad International Literary Festival

Authors

Nussaibah Younis

United Kingdom

Born in Manchester in 1986 to an Iraqi father and a Pakistani mother, Nussaibah Younis’s view of the world was significantly influenced by the 2003 Iraq War – and initially her choice of career as well: she studied Modern History, English and International Relations at Oxford and Durham. She subsequently worked for international think tanks and advised the Iraqi government, including deradicalisation programmes for women with links to IS. These experiences also shape her writing.
Her debut novel Fundamentalös (original title: Fundamentally) tells the story of a researcher working in a rehabilitation programme for IS returnees and, in doing so, comes up against moral and personal boundaries. Younis combines geopolitical analysis with biting satire on the international aid industry, thereby making complex conflicts narratively accessible. The NZZ attests: “Trained by sitcoms, she writes brilliant dialogue whose wit provides psychological relief to both the characters and the readers.”

Fundamentalös. Novel. Translated from English by Jasmin Humburg. Unionsverlag 2026

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