Shattered

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Shattered

By: Hanif Kureishi

Narrated by: Art Malik

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE JAMES TAIT BLACK BIOGRAPHY AWARD 2025

From Hanif Kureishi, author of The Buddha of Suburbia, a memoir about the accident that left him paralysed.

Imagine your life changing in a second: one minute you are watching the football with a beer, the next you are on the floor in a pool of blood, deprived of the use of your arms and legs. This fall renders you paralysed, robbed of your independence, entirely reliant on others for everything.

This happened to writer Hanif Kureishi on Boxing Day 2022. His account of what happened and its aftermath is a unique, riveting and frequently riotous account of a year-long odyssey home through five hospitals. From despair to hope, rage to courage, it might be the most truthful, and the funniest, medical disaster story ever written.

‘I’ve never felt tempted to use the word “inspirational” about a book, and promise I never will again, but it’s the only word I can think of to describe Shattered’ Lynn Barber, The Spectator

‘Incredible. A remarkable tale of resilience – and surprisingly funny’ iNews

‘Heartbreaking. [A] masterpiece of British stoicism. Intimate, brave and uplifting’ Independent

‘Wildly inspiring. His singular voice, his bawdy humour, his efforts to create meaning, all so characteristic and moving’ Guardian

© Hanif Kureishi 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024

Art & Literature

Authors

Medical

People with Disabilities

Physical Illness & Disease

Professionals & Academics

South Asian Creators

Rome

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Critic reviews

'Hanif Kureishi has long been one of the most exciting , irreverent, influential voices of his generation. In this beautiful, moving memoir he deals with personal calamity with wit, unflinching honesty and literary grace. It’s an extraordinary achievement' (Salman Rushdie)

'An awe-inspiring, soul-searing piece of writing, and painfully essential reading' (Nigella Lawson)

'Much is shattered in this remarkable, unsentimental account of a devastating fall, but some things remain perfectly intact. Hanif's humour, talent, curiosity, clarity and perversity - all are present and correct. I loved it' (Zadie Smith)

'Powerful, harrowing and utterly absorbing. It will change the way you connect with life—and love' (Elif Shafak)

'Very moving and often funny . . . There are two surprising things about [Shattered]: the first is that there's no self-pity or self-regard, even if there's a Lear-like fury with the injustice of fate; the second is that it's a love story – love of his partner, his ex-wife, his three sons, his late father and his many friends. "I will make something of this,” he says of his experiences. And, with the help of those who love him, he's achieved something altogether remarkable' (Richard Eyre)

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Thank you Hanif for sharing your story. You did indeed entertain and enlighten this reader x