Hamid Ismailov: How Literature Can Overthrow a Regime | #71

Best mates Ollie and Lukas sit down with renowned Uzbek novelist, poet and journalist Hamid Ismailov to explore language, censorship, exile and the future of literature.From BookTok to Beckett, political propaganda to AI-generated fiction, we ask how stories shape our thinking—and what happens when writers break the rules. Hamid shares why he was forced to leave Uzbekistan, how literature challenges authoritarianism, and why he remains hopeful about the future of books.His parting advice? “You are much more interesting than you think.”Critical Edge is a community founded by two friends learning how to think, not what to think. Follow the podcast and join us on our other platforms :)