Podcasts · How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
Hanif Kureishi - ‘I Write To Stay Alive’
· 50 min · S20 E191 · Explicit
Episode Hanif Kureishi - ‘I Write To Stay Alive’
Hanif Kureishi is one of Britain’s most celebrated writers. His debut screenplay, My Beautiful Laundrette, was nominated for an Academy Award, and he went on to write novels including The Buddha of Suburbia and Intimacy, as well as screenplays for Venus and The Mother.
But in 2022, Kureishi’s life changed irrevocably. A fall in his partner’s apartment left him paralysed and unable to use his hands. His extraordinary journey through the aftermath and rehabilitation became the subject of his 2024 memoir, Shattered. Now, in Are You With Me Now?, a collection of essays written with his son Carlo, he explores what it means to survive when the life you knew has fallen apart.
In this episode, Hanif talks about the accident itself, subsequent years, his changing relationship with writing and his body… and why Elton John came to his wedding!
IN THIS EPISODE
00:00 Introduction
03:53 Accident to Viral Blogs
06:49 Work, Disability, Identity
07:31 Conflict as Intimacy
12:27 Failures at School
19:32 Loss, Suicide, Wedding Twist
24:27 Quitting Directing
24:46 Writing The Buddha Of Suburbia
26:17 Comedy From Pain
27:02 Oscar Nominee Whirlwind
29:19 Why Directing Failed
31:56 Success And Jealousy
34:34 Body Failing Bomb
42:28 Love Dependence
💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:
I was writing to keep myself alive as a person.
I think boredom is really important.
If someone becomes glamorous and successful, it f***s with your head.
🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS:
Hanif’s book Are You With Me Now? is out on 5th November: www.penguin.co.uk/books/481825/are-you-with-me-now-by-kureishi-hanif-kureishi-with-carlo/9780241831595
Join the How To Fail community: www.howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content
Elizabeth’s Substack: www.theelizabethday.substack.com
📚 WANT MORE?
Salman Rushdie - swap.fm/l/3qh3lMa8mCxLSv8AL7ys
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Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan
Engineer: Matias Torres
Assistant Producer: Shania Manderson
Senior Producer: Hannah Talbot
Executive Producer: Alex Lawless
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