The Nightmare Sequence [Paperback]

An extraordinary collaboration by an award-winning duo—poet Omar Sakr and visual artist Safdar Ahmed–that bears witness to the genocide in Gaza.

The Nightmare Sequenceis a searing response to the atrocities in Gaza and beyond since October 2023. Heartbreaking and humane, it is a necessary portrait of the violence committed by Israel and its Western allies. Through poetry and visual art, Omar Sakr and Safdar Ahmed capture these historic injustices, while also critiquing the role of art and media—including their own—in this time. Born of collective suffering and despair, their collaboration interrogates the position of witness: the terrible and helpless distance of vision, the impact of being exposed to violence of this scale on a daily basis, and what it means to live in a society that is actively participating in the catastrophic destruction of Arabs and Muslims overseas. With a foreword by Palestinian American poet George Abraham, this bookwill serve as a vital record in decades to come.

USOmar Sakris a poet and writer born in Western Sydney to Lebanese and Turkish Muslim migrants. He is the acclaimed author of the novelSon of Sinand three poetry collections, includingThe Lost Arabs, which won the 2020 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Poetry. His most recent collection,Non-Essential Work,was shortlisted for the Kenneth Slessor Prize and the ALS Gold Medal. His nonfiction work has been published widely, including inThe Guardian,The Sydney Morning Herald, andSBS Life. 

 

Safdar Ahmedis an award-winning artist, writer, musician and cultural worker. His graphic novelStill Alivewon the Multicultural NSW Award and was named Book of the Year in the 2022 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards.Still Alivealso won the 2022 Eve Pl³)