Hassan Ghedi Santur’s second novel The Youth of God, published by Mawenzi House Publishers, is out on June 1, 2019.
Hassan Ghedi Santur, who emigrated from Somalia to Canada at thirteen years of age, has a BA in English Literature and an MA in journalism from Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. For many years, he worked as a radio journalist for CBC producing long-form documentaries and current affairs shows. His debut novel Something Remains (2010) was long-listed for The ReLit Awards. He has also written Maps of Exile.
The novelist who is also the Managing Editor for @brightthemag has a new novel forthcoming in a few days called The Youth of God. The book blurb states;
The Youth of God tells the story of Nuur, a sensitive and academically gifted seventeen-year-old boy growing up in Toronto’s Somali neighbourhood, as he negotiates perilously between the calling of his faith and his intellectual ambitions. Trying to influence him are a radical Muslim imam and a book-loving, dedicated teacher who shares his background. In its telling, this novel reveals the alienated lives of Somali youth in an environment riddled with crime and unemployment, while still in the grip of bitter memories of a home left behind. This intensely moving novel is also a powerful allegory of the struggle for the soul of Islam in modern times.
Kagiso Lesego Molope, the author of This Book Betrays My Brother, says of the book, “Santur manages to do what only great novelists can do: tell a harrowing tale with nuance, grace, and a lot of compassion. Each character is complex, each person’s story comes with many layers. I couldn’t put it down.”
You can pre-order a copy of the book at the Mawezi House website or at Amazon.
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