When literature stems from the ruins of war

"I grew up in a time of conflict. As a young boy, I witnessed the emotional disruption of the people involved by the conflict, both as victims and as fighters. I have also seen the devastation of my city, Srinagar, which used to be a beautiful, idyllic place. You see brutality become quotidian. It takes years to process this kind of experience, to make sense of war." Years later, as an author, Mirza Waheed has carved his past in the form of his novels, whose figurative, sensorial language turns the reading of his novels into a corporeal experience.

Waheed, novelist and journalist of Kashmiri origin and based in London, shared his personal story and read extracts from his novels during an open lecture organized by the course Cultural Mediation (first year of the Master's degree ACME – Arts, Culture, Media and Entertainment), held by Stefano Baia Curioni.

Waheed's novels, appreciated by the British critics (The Collaborator, 2011, was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and the Shakti Bhatt Prize and nominated book of the year by a number of newspaper, while The Book of Gold Leaves, 2014, was longlisted for the Folio Prize), open the readers' eyes on the conflict in Kashmir, often forgotten in spite of the fact that it has ravaged the area for decades. Both novels are available at Egea Bookstore. As a journalist, he has written for the BBC, the Guardian, Al Jazeera English, The New York Times, Granta and Guernica.

Waheed's narrative focuses on characters who mirror the traumatic, violent situation of Kashmir, thus representing the link with the Cultural Mediation course, which is divided in two sections. The theoretical part, centred on intercultural studies, cultural markets management and cultural consumption theories, is aimed at emphasizing the sensitivity of the relationship with culture, understood as the result of the process of negotiation between authors, actors, artists, performers and the audience, rather than as a monolithic entity. The other module, addressing the issue of violence and highlighting the responsibilities connected to the role of the cultural mediator, is held by Francesca Recchia, an independent researcher who has taught in many countries and has been dealing with creative practices in conflict areas.