Born in Iran after the Islamic Revolution. A childhood marked by the Iran–Iraq war. Growing up in a dictatorship where silence was survival.

Ali May’s journey took him from Iran to London, where he studied Creative Writing, and from there to Bloomberg, Euronews, and the BBC — before turning to stories for the screen and stage. His projects now cross borders — from France to Germany, Denmark to Finland, and beyond — but always return to the same truth: what power does to people, and how even in the darkest places, there can be cracks of light.

✨ In this episode, Ali shares:
– What it meant to grow up as a child in wartime — and how stories became a way to understand the world.
– How Orwell’s 1984 shaped his decision to leave Iran.
– The hidden grief of exile — and the weight of not being able to return home.
– Why fiction became the place where he could finally voice his opinions.
– And yes, even a story about competing with his mother over who makes the best celery stew with lamb.

Because in the end, it’s the small rituals of family and food that keep us connected, even across borders.

This is a conversation about courage, exile — and why telling stories freely is never something to take for granted.