Saleema Nawaz

Bachelor of Humanities; TV writer for Murdoch Mysteries

B.Hum 2003

Biography

I followed up my Bachelor of Humanities with an M.A. in English. Since then, I’ve published novels and short stories as well as non-fiction essays and reviews. My last novel, Songs for the End of the World, was an instant national bestseller as well as a Globe Best Book, and my previous novel, Bone and Bread, was a finalist on Canada Reads and won the Quebec Writers’ Federation Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction. I’ve written for video games, had a newspaper column in the Montreal Gazette, and have taught creative writing at McGill University, the Banff Centre, Simon Fraser University, and Bishop’s University. Right now I’m working on two musicals on the side of my work as a TV writer for Murdoch Mysteries — definitely the most fun job I’ve ever had.  

What was your experience like in the Bachelor of Humanities program? 

It was a very special and unique university experience. I feel very lucky to have had that dedicated time to be immersed in that curriculum and engaged so deeply in those texts and ideas. 

How did your Humanities degree help prepare you for your current career and how did it help shape you into the person you are today?

One moment that stayed with me was the feedback I received on an Aristotle essay in which the professor said my analysis basically lined up with contemporary criticism on the topic — in other words, even though we weren’t allowed to consult secondary sources, I’d arrived at the same conclusion as much more experienced scholars. Moments like that gave me an unshakeable confidence in my own point of view when it comes to engaging deeply with primary texts. 

As a TV writer on an historical Canadian mystery show, I’ve had plenty of opportunity to use my knowledge base from the College while writing on the show — from Biblical references to mentions of Kant and Marx and other philosophers and ideas.  

As a novelist, it is heartening to remember that words matter, and that there are places like the College of the Humanities where books and deep thinking are still taught and valued.