OMAR IMADY
Omar Imady holds a Ph.D from the University of Pennsylvania and is a disciple of Muhammad Bashir al-Bani, a Damascene Sufi Muslim scholar.
Omar Imady’s creative mind resembles the city he was born in, and the city he often writes about in both his fiction and poetry: Damascus. A city of sharp contrasts, Damascus is both ancient and modern, spiritual and mechanical, delicate and vulgar. The fact that he was born in Damascus to a mother from New York only deepened Imady’s complex perspective. Imady is a novelist, a poet, a scholar, and above all, a spiritual individual with a deep understanding of how humanity sees, lives, and even transforms the divine. Critics and readers have aptly described his fiction as “futuristic, spiritual, erotic, post-apocalyptic thrillers.”
In The Gospel of Damascus, (the first of a trilogy), a Book of the Year Award (BOTYA) finalist, Imady weaves together Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions to tell a story of a strong yet flawed human being who tries to prepare the world for a seemingly impossible event. Beyond telling a compelling story in elegant yet accessible language, Imady has a distinct talent to infuse his writing with vivid and moving imagery. Rich characters transport readers to places and events as if they were watching it all unfold before their very eyes.
The Gospel of Damascus, ("Recommended" by US Review of Books and featured as a "Reviewer's Choice" by MidWest Book Review) is available from Villa Magna Publishing here in four different languages.
His latest work...
'WHEN HER HAND MOVES'
(May 2021 Publication)
...is a compilation of two separate yet symbiotic novellas.
Can there be anything in the universe more powerful than a woman?
When the secret of the universe starts speaking to you, it is irrelevant whether you are trying to escape Damascus or living in exile in Southend. Intelligent, dangerous, sensual, and invariably irresistible women will suddenly start permeating your life. Like the hand of Midas which once turned everything into gold, the women of these stories transform everything they touch into a sacred invitation to redefine who, what, and why we are.
In When Her Hand Moves, Omar Imady shares a lyrical symphony composed of two movements:
The Seduction of Jude & The Rage of Fatima.
Movement One
Fearing his imminent arrest, Jude Marsini, a Syrian history professor, escapes Damascus only to find himself in another surreal and dangerous setting. As he attempts to navigate his way through a maze of lies and deceit, Jude is constantly distracted by three strong and enigmatic women determined to unravel his very grip on reality.
Movement Two
At war with her religious identity, Oxford scholar Fatima Tabrizi teams up with an unexpected companion, journalist Idris Jamali, to unravel the meaning of an ancient manuscript with explosive personal and universal implications. In the chase to decipher the cryptic symbols of the scroll, Fatima finds herself entangled in a mystery that calls into question everything she believes in.