Acclaimed authors Omar El Akkad and Kamila Shamsie engaged the Qatar public in a dialogue on human-made catastrophes and the art of storytelling at a special event at Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q).
Organised by the Programme in Energy Humanities at GU-Q, the discussion explored how narratives emerging from catastrophic events, such as El Akkad’s post-apocalyptic novel American War – which details a world shattered by a poorly managed energy transition – can bridge perspectives and inspire change.
Dr Victoria Googasian, co-coordinator of the Programme in Energy Humanities, and assistant professor of American Literature, introduced the author, highlighting how El Akkad’s novels challenge comforting narratives of progress.
“His work is a warning about what happens when we fail to question our preferences for ‘pleasant fantasy’,” she said.
She went on to tie the book to the initiative, which aims to illuminate the human costs of energy systems and the political will sustaining them, to foster deeper understanding and advocacy for change.
GU-Q dean Safwan Masri welcomed El Akkad, emphasising the importance of the event’s themes.
Addressing students, he urged them to embrace the challenge presented by the authors to “think more deeply, care more profoundly, and act more responsibly.”
Moderated by GU-Q Writer-in-Residence Kamila Shamsie, the conversation delved into the role of authentic storytelling in reflecting the human condition.
Shamsie, an award-winning author of eight books including Home Fire, drew on her literary expertise to guide the discussion.
El Akkad shared insights from his journalism career, which informed his fiction by capturing the lived experiences of those impacted by violence, catastrophes, and global systems contributing to war and climate collapse.
Speaking about the central theme of American War, El Akkad noted: “Climate change is about stubbornness, which I think of as fundamental to the human condition.” He described how this stubbornness often stems from avoiding the discomfort of confronting uncomfortable truths.
His forthcoming non-fiction book on Gaza, One Day Everyone Would Have Always Been Against This, also grapples with these themes. “I write overwhelmingly about systems that I think are inherently unjust, and about the collective cowardice, including my own cowardice, in holding up those systems” said El Akkad.
“You’re doing the optimistic thing about anguish and despair,” commented Shamsie, adding: “something in that seems to sum up the way we are as people and how we’re living – we hold this knowledge about what we’re doing and the horrific potential effects of it.”
In a time of scepticism about the value of literature and investigative reporting, the event underscored the power of evocative storytelling to reveal the consequences of our actions and influence individual and collective decisions.
