The Refugee Writer's Journey: A Conversation with Fikret Pajalic

Send us a textWriter Fikret Pajalic shares his journey from Bosnian refugee to published author, exploring how personal trauma became award-winning fiction through determination and craft. His short story collection "Complication" draws on refugee experiences, cross-cultural challenges, and unexpected connections.• Began writing as therapy for PTSD after arriving in Australia as a refugee in 1994• Developed a "revolving door submissions" strategy, persisting through multiple rejections• Published in prestigious literary journals including Meanjin, Overland, and international magazines• Named his collection "Complication" after watchmaking terminology, reflecting life's complexities• Stories explore themes of refugee experiences, western suburbs life, racism, and cultural displacement• Animals appear as recurring motifs throughout his stories• Received grants from Creative Victoria (2014) and Australia Council (2015)• Balance between staying true to artistic vision while being open to editorial guidance• Writing process involves transforming both personal experiences and stories from his community• Continues to navigate the residual mental health impacts of refugee experiencesFind the episode show notes, free episode handouts and how-to guides at amrapajalic.com/podcast.Welcome to Amra’s Armchair Anecdotes! I’m Amra Pajalić—writer, teacher, and storyteller. Pull up a chair, and let’s dive into stories about writing, life, and lessons learned—sharing wisdom from my armchair to yours.Episodes are posted every second Monday. You can subscribe on your favourite podcast app including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PodcastIndex, YouTube, or RSS, all directories Episode show notes are transcripts at https://www.amrapajalic.com/podcast.html

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