鈥淎 Stranger in Olondria鈥� Finds a Home in Academia
By Marya Jones Barlow
In a world where authors and academics are neatly categorized by disciplines and genres, Sofia Samatar is somewhat of an anomaly.
Though she鈥檚 scooping up the world鈥檚 highest honors as a science fiction and fantasy writer, Samatar is also a poet and author of literary fiction. And though she鈥檚 an assistant professor in CI鈥檚 English program, she鈥檚 also an expert in African languages and literature who has taught courses in Arabic along with Fiction Writing, Themes and Theories in World Literature, and Major Non-Western Authors.
鈥淪omething that鈥檚 special about CI is that it takes interdisciplinary studies seriously and appreciates that in the real world, we address problems by engaging people with different skill sets,鈥� Samatar said. 鈥淐I鈥檚 English program embraced my differences as assets that would enrich the interdisciplinary culture.鈥�
You can鈥檛 underestimate readers. It鈥檚 insulting to assume that people who read genre science fiction want to read the same thing over and over again.
Sofia Samatar
Since joining CI鈥檚 faculty in 2013, Samatar has been riding a wave of awards and critical acclaim for her fantasy debut novel, 鈥淎 Stranger in Olondria.鈥� The book, written over 10 years while teaching in Sudan and Egypt, has earned some of the science fiction and fantasy genre鈥檚 most prestigious honors. Samatar won the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel, the William L. Crawford Award for Best Fantasy Debut, and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer at the World Science Fiction Convention鈥攚idely considered the Academy Awards of the genre.
It鈥檚 a thrilling validation for a book that was once turned down by more than 50 literary agents.聽
鈥淚 spent five years trying to get an agent,鈥� she said. 鈥淓verybody said, 鈥榃e can鈥檛 sell this book. We like it; it鈥檚 beautifully written, but we can鈥檛 sell it. It鈥檚 not literary fiction because it鈥檚 set in a made-up world, but it鈥檚 not genre fantasy because it doesn鈥檛 have dragons and magic and battles. This book has no audience.鈥欌��
Samatar took matters into her own hands, approaching the independent publishers of Small Beer Press at a convention and persuading them to read the first three chapters.
Now, agents are pursuing her as she prepares to publish the sequel, 鈥淭he Winged Histories.鈥�
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 underestimate readers,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 insulting to assume that people who read genre science fiction want to read the same thing over and over again.鈥�
She鈥檚 started work on a new book, which she describes as part memoir, part historical non-fiction, about the Mennonites and her own experiences growing up in the faith.
鈥淚 love the science fiction community and I鈥檓 honored to be associated with it, but I鈥檓 not the kind of writer who鈥檚 going to stay within the genre,鈥� she said.
Samatar鈥檚 passion for varied genres also inspires her work at CI. Students in her Themes in World Literature course are studying 鈥渨eird world fiction,鈥� including science fiction, fantasy and horror from around the world. Next semester, she will join Chemistry Professor Blake Gillespie for a cross-disciplinary course called 鈥淪cience/Fiction,鈥� in which students read science fiction works and conduct related experiments.
鈥淭he relationship between academia and science fiction/fantasy is changing,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 an emerging interest鈥攏ot just among students but also in academic programs. It has to do with the increase of technology and environmental pressures in our lives鈥攊ssues science fiction has been dealing with for a long time.鈥�
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漏 Fall 2014 / Volume 18 / Number 2