Shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize 2014.
As one would expect from such a talented writer, this is an intelligent, amusing and intimate novel. Sometimes when you look forward to something too much, you can be disappointed; therefore start with an open mind, so that you can become lost in the narrative and wander the paths of witty repartee. The two principal protagonists are difficult, damaged males bent into shape by their upbringing. They are surrounded by loving, equally difficult females who contort and twist their lives just that little bit more. Discover the clever, complicated characters, warts and all; as their hidden depths, secrets and weaknesses are all deftly exposed. There are real moments of wonder to be had at the author's perception and understanding of the human psyche. At times there are fleeting moments of convoluted and difficult text, before the ready wit and story again lyrically sing from the page. Enjoy the sparring and wordplay as the entire cast battle to have the last word and feel the pain as the two writers strive to have the immortality of everlasting words. ~ Liz Robinson
Mamoon is an eminent Indian-born writer who has made a career in England -- but now, in his early seventies, his reputation is fading, his book sales have dried up and his new wife has expensive tastes. Harry, a young writer, is commissioned to write a biography to revitalise Mamoon's career. He greatly admires Mamoon's work and wants to uncover the truth of the artist's life, but Harry's publisher seeks a more salacious tale of sex and scandal to generate headlines. Meanwhile, Mamoon himself is mining a different truth altogether -- but which one of them will have the last word?
Hanif Kureishi grew up in Kent and studied philosophy at King's College London. His novels include The Buddha of Suburbia, which won the Whitbread Prize for Best First Novel, The Black Album, Intimacy and Something to Tell You. His screenplays include My Beautiful Laundrette, which received an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay, Sammy and Rosie Get Laid and The Mother.He has also published several collections of short stories. He has been awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and been translated into thirty six languages.
