The Jakes Gerwel Foundation would like to congratulate Nadia Cassim on being longlisted for the Sunday Times Literary Awards. Nadia worked on her debut novel, Not Another Samoosa Run!, which is nominated for the fiction prize during her time at Paulet House as a participant of the 2023 Bosberg Book Writing residency.
Nadia Cassim is a writer, artist and financial advisor. She graduated with honours from the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Witwatersrand before pursuing fine art. Her paintings have been exhibited in two solo shows and showcased at the Women’s Jail at Constitution Hill. In 2023, her artwork When Blood Ties Become Blood Chains was featured in the Ake Review.
In 2012, she founded IRTIQA, a modern Muslim women’s magazine, which she led for eight years before focusing on writing. Her short fiction has appeared in anthologies published by Modjaji Books, Brittle Paper, Umuofia Arts and Books Festival, Mirari Press and Short. Sharp. Stories.
About Not Another Samoosa Run!: In Tasneem’s close-knit Muslim Indian community, the stigma of divorce is a heavy burden to carry, and her mother insists on finding her a new husband – even if it means orchestrating a traditional ‘samoosa run’. When she meets Aadil, an unexpected connection sparks, and they strike a deal: a pretend engagement to keep their families off their backs. But a simple ruse soon grows complicated because one of them is hiding a life-changing secret . . .
