Enjoy the inner (often rude) thoughts of an academic who becomes obsessed with an ISIS Bride - Nussaibah Younis knows just how to land laugh out loud one-liners as well as produce lush, absorbing com!
- CWIP
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
For readers who haven’t (yet!) read ‘Fundamentally’ can you tell us about it in one sentence?
Fundamentally is a satirical comedy about a UN program to deradicalise ISIS brides! It follows Nadia, a heartbroken academic from London, who takes a UN job in Baghdad, and quickly becomes engrossed with Sara, a bolshie and hilarious young ISIS bride.
As a former advisor on deradicalisation - at what point in your work did you feel the inspiration to write such a hilarious novel about your experiences?
I love reading funny and smart novels that both entertain you and teach you something at the same time! It has always been my goal in life to write a book like that. When I became embroiled in a fascinating yet infuriating attempt to create a deradicalization program in Iraq, I knew I finally had my subject.
You are brilliant in your use of humour and really go there! Do you think this also highlights and releases the pain in our conflicted world?
Working in war zones, my colleagues and I have always used dark humour to get ourselves through the hardest times. In those moments, laughter can keep the humanity alive in us. I also think some of the most hilarious jokes can be the ones that skirt close to the boundaries, so I very much enjoyed pushing the envelope!
Which witty novel inspired you the most growing up ?
I have been very inspired by Evelyn Waugh's novel Scoop, which is a hilarious satire of war journalism that still rings disturbingly true today. It made me realise how much satire can actually teach you about how the world works, while entertaining you at the same time!
Where do you write? Do you need silence, crave music or manage with people drilling outside your window/other? Any writing habits gratefully received.
I write in total silence at home wearing two pairs of noise-cancelling headphones (in-ear and over-ear). If my upstairs neighbours turn on their (extremely noisy) washing machine I have a total mental breakdown and cry until it's over.
Finally, can you tell us why you think CWIP is important?
I am a HUGE supporter of CWIP because I think humour is criminally undervalued by the literary establishment - especially when created by women. As with so much of women's contributions, women's humorous writing is often dismissed as trivial and unimportant - even though it takes phenomenal skill to say something about the world whilst also making people laugh at the same time.
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