Skip to main content
International Contemporary Writing
Subscribe Basket

Gurnaik Johal

Gurnaik Johal was born in West London in 1998. He was shortlisted for The Guardian’s BAME short story prize in 2018 and graduated from the University of Manchester in 2019. His debut short story collection, We Move, was published by Serpent’s Tail and maps an area of West London as he sees it. The book's opening story, ‘Arrival’, won The Galley Beggar Short Story Prize. Gurnaik has been named one of The Observer's Best New Novelists for 2025 for his forthcoming debut novel, Saraswati. 

Articles by Gurnaik Johal

Many Notes on the Piano: Gurnaik Johal on the Short Story and Writing Miscommunication
In April 2025, Wasafiri Editor and Publishing Director Sana Goyal spoke with author Gurnaik Johal at an event at Queen Mary, University of London, about the place of short stories within publishing, literary prize culture, the defiance of untranslated language, and more.  
Subscribe
Subscribe to Wasafiri and get benefits such as saving 18% off the cover price.
Learn more
Newsletter
Sign-up to our newsletter and receive all our latest news straight to your inbox.
Follow
Follow us on our social media channels to stay in the loop and join in with discussions.