Khaled Alesmael, Syrian queer writer and filmmaker based in London. His debut novel, Selamlik (2018), inspired by his own journey as a gay refugee in Europe, received wide acclaim. The book was shortlisted for the German SKOUTZ Award in 2021 and longlisted for the PEN America Award in 2025. Though still unpublished in Arabic due to censorship of queer themes in the region, Selamlik has been published in Swedish and German, and an English edition is now available for pre-order on Amazon. In the UK, it can be ordered through Gay’s The Word, where it was named one of the best books of 2024.
Khaled’s work is known for fearlessly exploring queer narratives in Arabic, a literary space where such stories remain rare. Swedish critics have compared his writing to Jean Genet, praising his bold and lyrical storytelling.
His second book, Gateway to the Sea (2020), tells fictive personal testimonies of ten Arab gay men from Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Yemen, Western Sahara, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon who risked their lives crossing the Mediterranean to Europe. This offers offers a powerful and intimate record of their experiences.
In addition to his novels, Khaled has been recognized with the National Swedish Radio Short Story Prize in 2020 for “A Tote Bag Carries Damascus,” and his short film Coffee with Sukkar won a special award at the Gothenburg Film Festival in 2019.
Beyond his writing, Khaled founded the Arabic Literature course at Gothenburg University. He has been invited to international residencies and programs including Faberfull (Catalunya, 2020), Strömstad (Sweden, 2019), Fundacion Valparaiso (Spain, 2018), and the International Journalist Program (Berlin, 2017). In 2009, he joined the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Program for journalists in Washington, D.C.
Khaled began his career in Syria as a journalist covering art and culture and writing for children’s programs. He co-founded and managed one of the country’s first private radio stations, Syria Tomorrow, and later worked as a correspondent for Radio France International’s Arabic department, as well as in Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul, and Berlin.
Check his work:
Films:
The Station – Coffee with Sukkar
Contact:
Khaled@khaledalesmael.com
Writing Between Worlds: Syrian-Swedish Author in London and Barcelona 
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