Poets and writers
Diriye Osman (Diiriye Cismaan)
Diriye Osman (born 1983 in Mogadishu) is a British-Somali writer and visual artist. He grew up in Nairobi and London, studied at the University of Birmingham and Royal Holloway, and published the award-winning story collection Fairytales for Lost Children (2013) and The Butterfly Jungle, which he wrote and designed on his phone.
Diriye OsmanDiiriye Cismaan
- Lived
- 1983 to today
- Known as one of
- Poets and writers
- Places
- Muqdisho and Banaadir
- Era
- The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 1 sources
Who is he?
Diriye Osman is a British-Somali author, visual artist, critic and essayist, born in Mogadishu in 1983 (Wikipedia, Diriye Osman). When the civil war began his family moved to Nairobi, and in 2001 to London (same source). See Somalis in London.
He has written about being hospitalised for psychosis at eighteen, and about how reading writers such as Nuruddin Farah helped him recover his voice (same source). He studied English literature, linguistics and fine art at the University of Birmingham and took an MA in creative writing at Royal Holloway (same source).
Writing
He began writing short stories in 2008, with a focus on Somali lives and on his experience as a gay man (Wikipedia). His debut collection, Fairytales for Lost Children (2013), which he also illustrated, won praise from critics and an award (same source). His later collection The Butterfly Jungle was written and designed on his phone (same source). His work has appeared in The Guardian, Granta and the Financial Times, among others (same source).
In short
A Mogadishu-born London writer and artist whose stories centre Somali and gay lives.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Diriye Osman · en.wikipedia.org
Diriye OsmanDiiriye Cismaan
- Lived
- 1983 to today
- Known as one of
- Poets and writers
- Places
- Muqdisho and Banaadir
- Era
- The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 1 sources
Toosoo!
Calankii is made by Toosoo, which works for one united, prosperous Somalia.
Can you help with Diriye Osman (Diiriye Cismaan)? Tell us what you can give.
I want to help with this
Where this matters
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
- Edmonton, Alberta, Canada11,610 people of Somali origin lived in Edmonton at the 2021 Census, Canada's second-largest Somali community. History, work, leaders and challenges.
Keep reading
- Hadraawi (Maxamed Ibraahin Warsame), 1943 to 2022: the master of Somali speechHadraawi, Somali poet (1943 to 2022): his songs and poems, five years in prison from 1973, exile, the 2004 peace march, the Prince Claus Award and his legacy.
- Nuruddin Farah: the Somali novelist who won the Neustadt PrizeNuruddin Farah, Somali novelist born in Baidoa in 1945: his novels and three trilogies, his years of exile, and his 1998 Neustadt Prize.
- Timacadde (Cabdillaahi Suldaan Maxamed)Timacadde (about 1920–1973), poet of Somali independence: his life, the flag poem of 1960 and his message of unity over clan.
- Gaarriye (Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac)Gaarriye (1949–2012): Hargeisa poet, starter of the Deelley poem chain, first to explain Somali metre, and voice of reconciliation.
- Nadifa Mohamed (Nadiifa Maxamed)Nadifa Mohamed, born 1981 in Hargeisa: author of Black Mamba Boy, The Orchard of Lost Souls and the Booker-shortlisted The Fortune Men.
- Warsan Shire (Warsan Shire)Warsan Shire, born 1988: British Somali poet, London's first Young Poet Laureate, Brunel Prize winner, and voice in Beyoncé's Lemonade.