Interview with longlisted author Ahmed Menour

When did you begin writing Storm Over the Islands and where did the inspiration for it come from?

I began writing Storm Over the Islands at the beginning of January 2021. Most of its events were inspired by true-life happenings, some of which I had personally gone through, others I had seen or heard about. I lived in the Comoros and was seconded to teach Arabic Language to secondary school students in Mutsamudu on the island of Anjouan and in the Mohammed Said Al-Sheikh secondary school in the capital, Moroni. That was from December 1977 until 15^th August 1979.      

Did the novel take long to write and where were you when you finished it?

Writing Storm took exactly nine months and ten days. I spent three hours a day writing it, on some days writing more and on others, less. I began it on Friday, 9^th January 2021 and finished it, by coincidence, on Friday 10^th September 2021. 

Do you have writing rituals?

I don’t have special rituals, apart from the fact that I prefer to write in the morning at home, immediately after having breakfast, and I like to drink a single black coffee while writing.   

What is your next literary project after this novel?

At the moment, I am writing the second part of Storm Over the Islands. It’s called After a Quarter of a Century and is set in Paris and Algeria. I have written seven chapters so far.