Deepak Unnikrishnan’s work is significant to the emergence and study of “Gulf Writings.” Born to Malayalee parents who migrated to the United Arab Emirates in the 1970s, Unnikrishnan embodies a fluid identity as he navigates his childhood in the Emirates, academic years in the United States of America, and teaching and research experience in Abu Dhabi and Chicago. From observing the ethos of his native home in Kerala to the family’s survival in the Emirates, his life and work are closely intertwined. As he shares, “In a sleepy town in Kerala, where three dogs lounge by the portico of my parents’ house, Abu Dhabi exists. Thousands of kilometers away, near Hamdan Street, where I live, Kerala exists” (Naffis-Sahely).