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Ariel Saramandi

@arielsaramandi.bsky.social
254 followers 296 following 38 posts

Mauritian. Essays in Granta, The White Review & more. Portrait of an Island on Fire out with Fitzcarraldo Editions in June 2025.

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Ariel Saramandi @arielsaramandi.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
I was interviewed by Hao Nguyen a few months ago, on how I make money writing. I replied as honestly as I could, because I think non-white, non-connected writers in the 'Global South' need as much information as they can get. Apologies if it all sounds a bit brutal. Gift link in comments:
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Ariel Saramandi @arielsaramandi.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Today marks a whole year since Portrait of an Island on Fire was published.

 The book came out in one of the strangest, most chaotic years of my life; the anniversary of its launch comes at a deeply strange time in my life; I don’t know if there’s any kind of resolution that’ll come my way.
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RTÉ News @news.rte.ie · 11/06/2026
The world's largest whale graveyard has been discovered at the bottom of the Indian Ocean by Chinese scientists, who found that the vast expanse of both new and ancient carcasses supports huge communities of deep-sea life
rte.ie
World's largest whale graveyard discovered by Chinese sub
The world's largest whale graveyard has been discovered at the bottom of the Indian Ocean by Chinese scientists.
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Ariel Saramandi @arielsaramandi.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
My essay on immigrant workers in Mauritius, called Bann-La – 'the Others', in Kreol, which is how these workers are referred to here (also, in the case of Bangladeshi workers, as 'Bangla', eerily assonant) – was published by @boulevardlitmag in 2018 & edited for my book in 2024. Here's an update.
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Ariel Saramandi @arielsaramandi.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
You've probably heard of the extreme, unprecedented heatwave in Europe last week. I thought it'd be a good moment to reshare my essay on climate change in @thedialmagazine (link in bio) – because for us living on islands, especially, these 'unprecedented' events have been year-long for a while now.
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Hari Kunzru @harikunzru.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
Maybe there are still a few Labour MP’s who remember that the left used to be against racism
August 1978. Three young Bangladeshi men link arms at the front of a protest against the National Front HQ. They look nervous but determined. Photo by Paul Trevor
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Hari Kunzru @harikunzru.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
If the UK government doesn’t respond strongly to this, then the consequences will be grave.
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Longreads @longreads.com · 13/08/2025
"I read of dogs furiously digging holes in the ground to escape the 35-degree heat. Children fainting during assembly early in the morning." @arielsaramandi.bsky.social for @thedialmag.bsky.social: www.thedial.world/articles/new...
thedial.world
The Future of Climate Change Is on Mauritius — The Dial
Freak tornadoes, “explosions” of jellyfish, flash floods and dried up pumps.
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Fitzcarraldo Editions @fitzcarraldoeds.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
'I wrote those essays for myself first, to better understand my island, make sense of my thoughts, learn more history, and to remember the last couple of years, because they were momentous.' Ariel Saramandi on her collection PORTRAIT OF AN ISLAND ON FIRE: marthasmonthly.substack.com/p/interview-...
marthasmonthly.substack.com
A Portrait of an Island on Fire: an interview with Ariel Saramandi
On Mauritius, writing under a pseudonym and living on the front line of climate change.
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Arin Keeble @keeblearin.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
RIP Simon James. Generous, joyful, gentle, and sharp as a tack. He’ll be remembered as a world renown scholar and ambassador for literary studies, and I’m today remembering him rocking out to Shellac. What a loss.
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Durham UCU @ducu.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
Absolutely heartbroken to learn that Professor Simon James has passed away after a short illness. Simon was a stalwart union rep in the English Department, and a personal friend to many of us in the branch. We'll miss his humour, his passion, and his dedication to making things better for people.
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Wendy Erskine @wednesdayerskin.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
observer.co.uk/culture/inte... @fitzcarraldoeds.bsky.social @arielsaramandi.bsky.social plus others.
observer.co.uk
On my radar: Wendy Erskine’s cultural highlights
The author on cherry blossom, French psychedelia and Instagram elegance
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Fitzcarraldo Editions @fitzcarraldoeds.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
📚 JUNE PUBLICATIONS 📚 We are excited to announce our June titles: 📚 – LILI IS CRYING by Hélène Bessette, tr. Kate Briggs, with an introduction by Eimear McBride, out on 5 June; – PORTRAIT OF AN ISLAND ON FIRE by Ariel Saramandi, out on 19 June. 📚 Read extracts and preorder: fitzcarraldoeditions.com
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Ariel Saramandi @arielsaramandi.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
I’ll be in Bristol (Gloucester Road Books) on the 16th June with the great Gurnaik Johal, discussing his novel Saraswati and my collection Portrait of an Island on Fire. Tickets here: www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/whats-on/glo...
headfirstbristol.co.uk
Gurnaik Johal and Ariel Saramandi at Gloucester Road Books
Gloucester Road Books presents two wonderful writers, Gurnaik Johal and Ariel Saramandi, whose new books masterfully examine the legacy of empire and the snowballing climate crisis in distinct, dynami...
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Ariel Saramandi @arielsaramandi.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Portrait of an Island on Fire will be published by @fitzcarraldoeds.bsky.social on 19 June 2025. It’s an essay collection that examines different aspects of Mauritius: our colonial inheritances, the structures and operations of racism and patriarchy, our languages, our political system.
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Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
I'd bet most Americans don't realize the six Nazi extermination camps during World War II also involved rendition to a foreign country. Auschwitz, Treblinka, Belzec, Sobibor, Chełmno and Majdanek were all located in Poland. Not Germany. Important historical fact.
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Jennifer Bew Orr 📖🖊️📷 @jenniferbeworr.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Don’t miss this beauty if you can help it. One of the finest short story writers ever, Tessa Hadley, weighs in on what made Mavis Gallant one of the world’s most exceptional short story writers. #shortstory #booksky
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Maris Kreizman @maris.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Oh shit lithub.com/thomas-pynch...
lithub.com
Thomas Pynchon is publishing a new novel this fall.
Mark your calendars, Pynchon fans. Today, Penguin Press announced that they will be publishing a new novel by the famously reclusive American master this fall, on October 7. The novel, his first si…
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Philip Gourevitch @pgourevitch.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
this is a staggering amount of money to build camps—suggesting that building & running a gulag will be the primary function of the otherwise gutted Trump-state in last fiscal yr: "D.H.S. allocated about $3.4 billion for the entire custody operation overseen by ICE" www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Aims to Spend $45 Billion to Expand Immigrant Detention
A request for proposals for new detention facilities and other services would allow the government to expedite the contracting process and rapidly expand detention.
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Lauren Elkin @laurenelkin.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
oh look an excerpt from my translation of Constance Debré's NAME is up at @parisreview.bsky.social www.theparisreview.org/blog/2025/04...
theparisreview.org
Father and Mother - The Paris Review
“When they met she was living in a large apartment in the rue Bonaparte, with the sister closest in age, the one who’s going to die of alcohol and pills.”
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Mike Masnick @masnick.com · 03/04/2025
Incredibly, this appears to be true. We tariffed our own (jointly operated with the UK) military base.
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Rebecca Makkai @rebeccamakkai.bsky.social · 23/03/2025
DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING??
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Ariel Saramandi @arielsaramandi.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
Forgot to post this but: along with Gilbert Ahnee, I was interviewed by Asymptote. It was fun! Got to talk about the state of Mauritian literature, Exils, and my forthcoming essay collection. www.asymptotejournal.com/blog/2025/02...
asymptotejournal.com
Return to the Prodigal Country: Gilbert Ahnee and Ariel Saramandi on the Mauritian Novel - Asymptote Blog
As a writer, translator and most of all reader, I appreciate it tremendously when I see characters speaking in a way that feels true to themselves.
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Ariel Saramandi @arielsaramandi.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
The former Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth, was arrested at 3am this morning on a charge of money laundering.
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clt @inconnieto.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
Such exciting news and congratulations to the great @arielsaramandi.bsky.social
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Ariel Saramandi @arielsaramandi.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
Some news! My debut essay collection, Portrait of an Island on Fire, will be published by Fitzcarraldo Editions in June 2025.
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Jorie Graham @joriegraham.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
The cruelty is what they enjoy—it’s the point—it’s the nature of this coup. Cruelty.Hatred of all but the white & the few…Not a trace of empathy,& no instinct towards,no human grasp of, justice.It’s monstrous.It will not last.They will overreach.We will wake up. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
theguardian.com
Charities reeling from USAid freeze warn of ‘life or death’ effects
Abrupt order has done ‘serious damage’, say experts, with supply chains halted, HIV clinics struggling to source drugs and refugee camps facing loss of vital services
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Portland DSA @portlanddsa.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
Lydia was the campaign manager for our endorsed candidate Tiffany Koyama Lane, and we are so proud to call them both comrades. Read her story 👇 www.thecut.com/article/how-...
thecut.com
Manage a Political Campaign Just to Feel Something Again
National politics made me despair. Then my friend ran for office, and I unleashed my inner political animal.
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kerraway.bsky.social @kerraway.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
Coming in 2025: books to make us see the world anew, from writers including @philipmarsden.bsky.social, @kerriandrewsuk.bsky.social, @danzep.bsky.social, @robgmacfarlane.bsky.social, @julianhoffman.bsky.social, @adamweymouth.bsky.social & @arielsaramandi.bsky.social. See deskboundtraveller.com.
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Sanjay Sipahimalani @sansip.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
“There is my inner assertion of who I am that is consistently knocking up against another person’s conception of me and of what institutions are making of us both, and I wanted my characters to embody that tension.” Devika Rege and Merve Emre discuss ‘Quarterlife’ www.publicbooks.org/the-poetics-...
publicbooks.org
The Poetics of Democracy: A Conversation with Devika Rege
“This novel is about a collective, but that collective is not the nation. It can only allude to the nation without becoming it.”
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Words Without Borders & WWB Campus @wwborders.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
IT'S PERCIVAL EVERETT! Percival Everett, author of JAMES, is the winner of the 2024 National Book Award for Fiction! "Hope is really no substitute for strategy." bookshop.org/a/169/978038...
Percival Everett stands at the podium. The text "PERCIVAL EVERETT, James, Winner, 2024 National Book Award for Fiction" is overlaid.Percival Everett smiles as he's patted on the back and lit up in a spotlight.
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Erin Sikorsky @erinsikorsky.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
Love to see this shout-out to Mobility by Lydia Kiesling. It's a great read -- definitely has a capital M message about climate a la Ministry for the Future, but a much better novel. www.nytimes.com/2024/11/19/c...
nytimes.com
The Perfect Novel for the Baku Climate Summit: Lydia Kiesling’s Mobility
The U.N. climate conference, held in a petrostate, is a surreal moment. This darkly funny novel about Baku, oil companies and climate change in the first Trump term helps make sense of it all.
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Soraya Nadia McDonald @soraya.press · 15/11/2024
"I’m less interested in conducting a postmortem of this election and tweaking the Democrats’ tactics than trying to understand how to build a movement—not in reaction to Trump, but toward workers’ power, a just economy, reproductive justice, queer and trans liberation, and ending racism..." YUP
bostonreview.net
Notes on Fighting Trumpism - Boston Review
To mobilize the abandoned working class, we need to revive the idea of solidarity.
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Ariel Saramandi @arielsaramandi.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
So the opposition won in our general elections held three days ago. It’s a story of corruption, revelations, audio leaks, drugs, cartels, the mafia and lots of diplomatic f*-ups. Hopefully coming to you next year!
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Ariel Saramandi @arielsaramandi.bsky.social · 19/10/2024
The general elections in Mauritius are planned for next month. Yesterday night, a new page was created on Facebook and TikTok. It posted a series of recordings - telephone conversations, whatsapp conversations - of opposition MPs, journalists, and the British ambassador to Mauritius.
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Ariel Saramandi @arielsaramandi.bsky.social · 21/09/2024
Wrote about this beautiful book for The Stinging Fly: stingingfly.org/review/pleas...
stingingfly.org
Pleasure Gardens: Blackouts and the Logic of Crisis in Kashmir – The Stinging Fly
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Ariel Saramandi @arielsaramandi.bsky.social · 07/03/2024
Some news. Will be in London for the launch!
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Ariel Saramandi @arielsaramandi.bsky.social · 15/01/2024
We have a cyclone upon us. The government told us to go to work as usual. Then the flooding happened — #cyclonebelal #mauritius
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Melissa Ryan @melissaryan.bsky.social · 04/01/2024
Claudine Gay pens an essay about her resignation. Everyone should read and absorb this paragraph. Because it encapsulates everything that the next year is going to be. From the election to culture, education, culture, you name it. www.nytimes.com/2024/01/03/o...
As I depart, I must offer a few words of warning. The campaign against me was about more than one university and one leader. This was merely a single skirmish in a broader war to unravel public faith in pillars of American society. Campaigns of this kind often start with attacks on education and expertise, because these are the tools that best equip communities to see through propaganda. But such campaigns don’t end there. Trusted institutions of all types — from public health agencies to news organizations — will continue to fall victim to coordinated attempts to undermine their legitimacy and ruin their leaders’ credibility. For the opportunists driving cynicism about our institutions, no single victory or toppled leader exhausts their zeal.
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Ariel Saramandi @arielsaramandi.bsky.social · 02/12/2023
Colonial bullshit continues to reign supreme
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Vajra Chandrasekera @vajra.me · 17/10/2023
This is brilliant—in response to the Frankfurt Book Fair's contemptible erasure of Adania Shibli's brilliant MINOR DETAIL, her publisher Fitzcarraldo Editions has made the ebook free to download for the duration of the Book Fair, on Amazon UK, Apple Books, and Kobo.
kobo.com
Minor Detail ebook by Adania Shibli - Rakuten Kobo
Read "Minor Detail" by Adania Shibli available from Rakuten Kobo. Minor Detail begins during the summer of 1949, one year after the war that the Palestinians mourn as the Nakba – the cat...
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aaron boothby @ellipticalnight.bsky.social · 18/10/2023
the press conference among the bodies of the murdered is a letter from a damned world that will swallow us all if it doesn't stop
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Dr Chiara Bullen @chiarab.bsky.social · 17/10/2023
Fitzcarraldo Editions have made the eBook of Adania Shibli's Minor Detail, translated by Elisabeth Jaquette, free to download for the entirety of the Frankfurt Bookfair (via Amazon, Apple Books and Kobo - links in their tweet: twitter.com/Fitzcarraldo... )
twitter.com
Tweet by @FitzcarraldoEds
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Ron Chan @rondanchan.bsky.social · 15/10/2023
Bluesky doesn't suppress links like twitter, so here are clickable links, if that helps! www.map.org.uk www.pcrf.net www.wfp.org www.doctorswithoutborders.org www.unrwausa.org
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Ariel Saramandi @arielsaramandi.bsky.social · 15/10/2023
Nickhyl Dawoor and Geetanjali Shree at yesterday’s Festival du Livre de Trou d’Eau Douce.
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Sinéad Gleeson @sineadgleeson.bsky.social · 13/10/2023
A Louise Glück line I’ve never forgotten is, “At the end of my suffering, there was a door” and in ‘A Fantasy’, there is so much resonance with all of the grief in the news. Glück is a huge loss. RIP. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
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