Description

‘Moving, funny, remarkable’ Richard Eyre

From Hanif Kureishi, author of The Buddha of Suburbia, a memoir about the accident that left him paralysed

‘A few days ago, a bomb went off in my life, but this bomb has also shattered the lives of those around me. My partner, my children, my friends.’

On Boxing Day 2022, in Rome, Hanif Kureishi had a fall. When he came to, in a pool of blood, he was horrified to realise he had lost the use of his limbs. He could no longer walk, write or wash himself. He could do nothing without the help of others, and required constant care in a hospital. So began an odyssey of a year through the medical systems of Rome and Italy, with the hope of somehow being able to return home, to his house in London.

While confined to a series of hospital wards, he felt compelled to write, but being unable to type or to hold a pen, he began to dictate to family members the words which formed in his head. The result was an extraordinary series of dispatches from his hospital bed – a diary of a life in pieces, recorded with rare honesty, clarity and courage.

As Hanif wrote, early on: ‘A few days ago, a bomb went off in my life, but this bomb has also shattered the lives of those around me. My partner, my children, my friends.’

This book takes these hospital dispatches – edited, expanded and meticulously interwoven with new writing – and charts both a shattering and a reassembling: a new life born of pain and loss, but animated by new feelings – of gratitude, humility and love.

Publisher Review

Hanif Kureishi has long been one of the most exciting , irreverent, influential voices of his generation. In this beautiful, moving memoir he deals with personal calamity with wit, unflinching honesty and literary grace. It’s an extraordinary achievement — Salman Rushdie An awe-inspiring, soul-searing piece of writing, and painfully essential reading — Nigella Lawson Much is shattered in this remarkable, unsentimental account of a devastating fall, but some things remain perfectly intact. Hanif’s humour, talent, curiosity, clarity and perversity – all are present and correct. I loved it — Zadie Smith Powerful, harrowing and utterly absorbing. It will change the way you connect with life-and love — Elif Shafak Very moving and often funny . . . There are two surprising things about [Shattered]: the first is that there’s no self-pity or self-regard, even if there’s a Lear-like fury with the injustice of fate; the second is that it’s a love story – love of his partner, his ex-wife, his three sons, his late father and his many friends. “I will make something of this,” he says of his experiences. And, with the help of those who love him, he’s achieved something altogether remarkable — Richard Eyre Extraordinary, intimate, humorous and heart-rending . . . brutally honest and utterly courageous. Kureishi concludes with the assertation: “I will not go under; I will make something of this.” And he has * The Bookseller *