Hanif Qureshi tells his shocking story after a fall left him paralyzed

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From a hospital bed in Italy, the giant of British literature delivers quite a story. Since a disastrous Boxing Day fall in Rome that left him unable to move his arms or legs, Hanif Kureishi has been documenting his recovery in adorable messages on Twitter. “Since I’ve become a vegetable, I’ve never been this busy,” begins one report, noting that the author of the cult classic The Buddha of Suburbia hasn’t lost his knack for sharp line.

Salman Rushdie, Stephen Frears and Jim Broadbent are among those who sent well wishes to the Bromley-born author, whose 1985 film My Beautiful Laundrette won an Oscar nomination and made Daniel Day-Lewis a star. At the beginning of the year, Qureshi told his followers that moments after he watched Mohamed Salah score against Aston Villa on December 26, he suddenly became dizzy, before waking up in a pool of blood. His wife, Isabella, saved his life — Qureshi says — but now the author can’t “scratch my nose, make a phone call, or feed myself.”

But the most annoying thing for a writer is his inability to hold a pen. One of his daily updates, written on behalf of Qureshi by his wife and son Carlos, begins by describing the joys of using a fountain pen. “I am sure that many painters, writers, architects, athletes, and gardeners love their tools and see their tools as an extension of their bodies. I hope that one day I will be able to return to using my precious and beloved instruments,” he wrote on January 8.

Salman Rushdie, who lost an eye and a hand in a brutal attack on stage last year, has been writing to Qureshi every day. The author of Midnight’s Children told The Independent that Qureshi is “like the little brother I’ve never had”.

“I am always here for him, as he has always been there for me. I hope he will be his mischievous infamous self again soon.”

In their dialogues, Rushdie would “encourage patience”. In his last update, Kureshi described Rushdie’s Midnight Kids in 1981 as “like when Pete Townsend or Eric Clapton saw Jimi Hendrix play for the first time, or when the Beatles met Bob Dylan”.

The greats and benefactors of the global arts community have similarly rallied around Qureshi, who was awarded the CBE Prize in 2009. Stephen Frears, director of Qureshi’s classic My Beautiful Laundrette, about a gay interracial relationship during the Thatcher era, told The Independent: “What happened? “Devastated. He’s so brave and brave. Everyone hopes a full recovery will be possible. He’s very brave. Everyone hopes a full recovery is possible. He’s very brave,” Stephen Frears, who directed Corichi’s book My Beautiful Laundrette in 1985, told The Independent.

Hanif Kureishi pictured at the UK premiere of ‘The Beatles: Get Back’ on November 16, 2021

(Getty Images)

Haneef was the first brilliant Asian writer to actually be born in England and achieve success. His writings are full of irony and wit. sees things in a remarkably unique way; His stories change lives and perceptions.”

Robert McCram, writer and former editor-in-chief of publisher Faber & Faber, said Qureshi is “a brave artist who isn’t afraid to throw bricks at times.”

McCrum called The Suburban Buddha an “absolute sensation” when it was published in 1990, “giving a new generation a story for their era, and expressing their coming-of-age experience with the stunning brio”. Reflecting on the book, McCrum added that “The Buddha of Suburbia helped rejuvenate the British narrative in the last years of the last century – here was a British Asian discovering and writing about a whole new world.”

“He loves to cause mischief, but I think his greatest achievement is that he’s so serious and so funny, such a committed artist and such a great artist. In my experience, it’s very rare for a writer to achieve both high and low acclaim,” McCrum said.

Hanif is a good writer – honest, nuanced, nuanced and very funny – and that’s the best kind of challenge for an actor

Jim Broadbent

Oscar-winning actor Jim Broadbent starred in the 2013 Korean film Le Week-End, about a couple who go to Paris to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. It was directed by the late Roger Michell, with whom Qureshi had a lasting creative partnership for more than two decades.

Broadbent told The Independent: “Hanif is a good writer – honest, nuanced, nuanced and very funny – and that’s the best kind of challenge for an actor. Working on Le-Weekend with his longtime collaborator Roger Michel was a huge thrill and like all other actors he’s been fortunate enough to have.” Enough to give voice to his words, I trust and hope to be able to do it again.”

The heights of Hanif Kureishi’s career, from My Beautiful Laundrette to Le Week-end

Kureishi’s striking style is marked by a gritty approach to writing about sex and intimacy, as seen in novels such as Intimacy and The Black Album. Ann Reid, star of the 2003 film Mother, in which a woman begins a relationship with a much younger man (played by Daniel Craig), recalls Qureshi as being “very nice” to her when they traveled to Rome together for a movie screening. the movie.

“He really took care of me while we were there, and on both trips, back and forth… He was so caring. I send him my love and pray for him to make a full recovery,” Reed said.

Dancer and choreographer Akram Khan, who has collaborated with Qureshi on shows such as Ma and the God of Little Tales, described Qureshi as an “extraordinary thinker and storyteller”.

Qureshi poses for a photo at the AFI Festival, California, on November 9, 2006

(Getty Images for AFI)

“I remember he was one of the first writers I met who was not only a person of colour, but also a storyteller who dared to open up and examine topics that were taboo at the time,” Khan said.

“Working with him on The God of Little Tales taught me a lot about the importance of not dwelling on complex issues, but rather going straight to the point.”

My beautiful laundry trailer

In candid and heartwarming hospital letters, Qureshi maintains his sense of humor—one is signed “In these troubled times, your crippled lover, Hanif”—while offering insight into his writing life. Qureshi revealed that he first began to find his voice after reading Ray Bradbury’s essay book Zen in the Art of Writing, which recommends that you “stay drunk while writing so reality doesn’t destroy you”.

Krishi’s latest update offered an apology for breaking his promise with “revelations about sex and drugs” — before adding that “there’s going to be a lot of shit to come.”

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