The Other Writer in the Family
The manuscript was given to me a few weeks ago. It is a novel written by my father, a legacy of words, a protracted will, perhaps – I don’t know yet what it contains, only that it is called An Indian Adolescence. My father, who was a civil servant in the Pakistan embassy in London, wrote novels, stories and plays all his adult life. I think he completed at least four novels, all turned down by numerous publishers and agents, which was traumatic for our family, who took the rejection personally. But Dad did publish journalism about Pakistan, and about squash and cricket, and wrote two books on Pakistan for young people.
It turns out that Kureishi père was also a writer. It’s a bit long, but a fascinating read and an insight into Hanif Kureishi himself.