Omar Musa on the 6 year process of writing his second novel Fierceland
Mustard Flats sat down with the 2026 Miles Franklin Literary Award winner Omar Musa to talk about his book Fierceland.
He shared some insights into how the book came about and some footage from a recent trip to the region, traveling through the markets of Kota Kinabalu and the palm plantations of Borneo.
We discuss the sometimes painful 6 year process of writing his second novel.
“I use fiction as a way of answering questions that I have within myself, looking at my own prejudices, my own flaws, questions I have about my origins. And so I felt like it was a natural thing to start writing about Borneo.” Omar Musa
Well worth a read:
