Bobuq Sayed
Writer in the Afghan diaspora
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bobuq Sayed is an Afghan-Australian writer,[1] poet[2] and theatre-maker,[3] who is the author of A Brief History of Australian Terror. It was named by ABC News as a best new book of 2024.[4] Their novel No God But Us was published in 2026.[5]
Bobuq Sayed | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | University of Miami San Jose State University |
| Occupations | Writer, poet, theatre-maker |
Life and education
Sayed was born in Australia to Afghan parents.[6] They are non-binary.[3] They have a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Miami.[6]
Career
Sayed wrote an article in 2017 entitled "Literary Production Versus Institutional Whiteness", which challenges structural racism within Australian literary communities.[7] In 2018, Sayed was a member of the theatre collective Embittered Swish, the group worked to expand the concept of trans dramaturgy, including moving away from work related to transition or dysphoria.[3] Sayed's work also featured in the 2018 exhibition The Third Muslim: Queer and Trans* Muslim Narratives of Resistance and Resilience held at SOMArts in San Francisco.[8]
They are also a former editor of Archer magazine.[6] In 2021, they co-organised a fundraiser to supply financial aid to LGBTQ+ Afghans in Afghanistan.[9] Sayed co-edited Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender Diverse Australia alongside Sam Elkin, Alex Gallagher and Yves Rees.[10][11] They were a 2022–23 Steinbeck Fellow at San Jose State University.[12][13] In 2024 they published A Brief History of Australian Terror, which was recommended by ABC News as a best new book of 2024.[4] Academic David Coady reviewed the work as an "excellent contribution to an important topic," whilst suggesting that the work leaves some things unsaid, like the conflation of Zionism with anti-Semitism in Western media.[14] They are a Kundiman Fellow.[15] Their first novel No God But Us was published in 2026.[5]