Hanif Kureishi Dictates 'Shattered' After Life-Altering Accident
- Hanif Kureishi was paralyzed due to an accident that partially broke his neck.
- He documented his experiences in a memoir dictated to his son, capturing his reflections on life before the accident.
- The memoir is praised for its emotional depth and Kureishi's ability to convey both struggle and empathy.
On Boxing Day 2022, Hanif Kureishi experienced a life-changing accident while in Rome, which led to a partial neck break and resultant tetraplegia. Despite this drastic change, where he lost the ability to feed himself or hold a pen, Kureishi found a way to document his experiences by dictating diary entries to his son, Carlo. The memoir blends his accounts of hospitalization with reflections on his previous life and pleasures now out of reach. Readers are drawn to the exhilarating prose of his writing, which provides insight not only into his personal struggles but also into a renewed empathy for others. This intimate portrait of resilience reveals Kureishi's journey as he seeks meaning in the aftermath of a significant personal catastrophe.