Presented By
– Peter Carey about Kamila Shamsie
– The Guardian about Mohsin Hamid.”
In 2017, two of the most exciting writers of our times – Kamila Shamsie and Mohsin Hamid – published novels that have proved to be uncannily accurate about the direction the world would take. They warned us of the future of nationalism, the tightening of political and social borders, and how our realities can become unrecognizable overnight. We meet them four years later to talk about their prescient works.
Shamsie’s Home Fire (nominated for the Booker, and winner of the Women’s Prize for fiction) re-imagines Sophocles’ play Antigone unfolding in a British Muslim family. Following a story of personal loss, radicalization, and betrayal, the book looks at the tension between society, family, the state, and faith in the modern, globalized world.
Hamid (whose novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist became a film directed by Mira Nair and starring Riz Ahmed) speaks about his book Exit West. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and winner of the LA Times Best Book Award, Exit West describes a country teetering on the brink of civil war, and two young people who embark on a furtive love affair. When their city explodes into war, and beloved street corners are now military checkpoints, they begin to hear about doors that can open and whisk people far away. They have to make the dangerous and potentially irreversible choice, to step through one of these doors.
Titles by Kamila Shamsie & Mohsin Hamid are available via our friends and cultural partners at Upstart & Crow in their ISF2021 Gallery – BUY/PRE-ORDER from Upstart & Crow Today!
SPECIAL OFFER:
Email Upstart & Crow at [email protected] to order any of these books, for a 10% discount reserved for Indian Summer Festival ticket holders who purchase before June 1.
*N.B. Video on Demand/Replay: We encourage you to join us for the Event Premiere for interactive live elements like chat. If you miss the Event Premiere, the replay will be available from 12 pm noon Friday, June 25th, 2021 for a one time watch per pass/ticket until midnight on July 17th, 2021
Kamila Shamsie & Mohsin Hamid
Supporting Partners Cultural Partners
