| Kia Abdullah | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 17 May 1982 London, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | British |
| Ethnicity | Bengali |
| Official website | |
Kia Abdullah (Bengali, born 17 May 1982) is a British-Asian author and journalist. She has written one novel, Life, Love and Assimilation, published in 2006, and is currently writing her second, Child's Play, due for release 4 December 2009.[1]
Contents |
Biography
Kia Abdullah was born and raised in the borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. She is of Bangladeshi descent: her parents moved to Britain from the Sylhet region of Bangladesh during the 1970s. Abdullah is the seventh oldest of nine children; one however died shortly after birth in 1974.
Abdullah graduated with a BSc degree in Computer Science from Queen Mary, University of London in 2003. After a stint in information technology, she changed career and opted to become a writer instead.[2]
Abdullah’s first novel, Life, Love and Assimilation,[3] debuted among praise and controversy in equal measures. The Bangladeshi community, including members of Abdullah’s own family, denounced the book due to its no-holds-barred description of the drugs problem in Tower Hamlets along with the inclusion of several sexually graphic scenes.[4]
Despite the controversy, Abdullah remains firm in her view that issues should be explored, saying: “I have a voice and I’ll say what I want with it. I am not backing down. I am not staging a retreat. Let people say what they want to say.”[5]
As a journalist, Abdullah has interviewed a range of prominent Asian actors and musicians including Meera Syal, Anoushka Shankar and Nitin Sawhney. She now contributes to a number of publications including The Guardian newspaper[6] and international glossy magazine Asian Woman.[7] She is frequently asked to comment on issues affecting the Asian community, and has appeared on documentaries and news reports for the BBC[8] and Channel 4.[9]
Works
Abdullah’s debut novel, Life, Love and Assimilation, drew comparisons with Monica Ali's Brick Lane [10]. Despite feeling “honoured” by this comparison to Ali, Abdullah says, “I feel that we are being pigeonholed together simply because of the content of our novels.” [11]
Life, Love and Assimilation was inspired by Abdullah’s own life. She says, “I wanted to write a novel that did not sugarcoat what it's like to be last in the pecking order of society; a female member of a racial minority with a faith that is plundered and vilified all across the western world. I wanted to show what it's really like to be a modern Asian woman caught between two cultures, two minds and two hearts.” [12]
Abdullah is currently writing her second novel, Child’s Play, due for release on 4th December 2009.
Quotes
"I'm already accessible. If I were more accessible, I'd be posting up my number in phone boxes across London."
- On being accessible to her readers.[13]
"Anything can be good for a short time... even strangulation feels good initially."
- On the difficulty of long-lasting relationships.[14]
"It’s exasperating when a size six nothing pinches her almost non-existent waist and gasps in horror at the amount of fat she’s managed to amass between her emaciated fingers."
- On weight issues.[15]
"Indian women are renowned for their beauty; Italian, French, Spanish and Mediterranean women are exotic; Scandinavian women are leggy and blonde; Oriental women are mysterious and alluring; Latin Americans are seductive and sensual… the list goes on. But Bangladeshi women – well, no-one really knows or cares about us. And those who do, more often than not, think we’re all short, fat, ugly and downtrodden."
- On the stereotype of Bangladeshi girls.[16]
"I have all the clichéd problems with intimacy; I’m neurotic and hate people messing about with my space and stuff; I’m argumentative, competitive, uncompromising, spiteful and manipulative; and I can’t cook. They’re not exactly desirable qualities in a wife."
- On getting married.[17]
"Let’s face it, if I can lecture 170 14-year-old boys, I can talk to anyone."
- On public speaking.[18]
"I can think of my own one-fingered gesture I’d like to make at His Royal Toffness."
- On David Cameron.[19]
"Any sort of criticism of Islam is likely to incite anger because Islam is so deeply ingrained into us but does that mean we have to respond with violence and threats, effigies at the ready? Surely we’re more intelligent than that?"
- On Islam.[20]
"Saying you like both Macs and PCs is like saying you're sleeping with two different men, which unfortunately I'm not."
- On technology.[21]
"People cheat. Marriages end."
- On relationships.[22]
References
- ^ "Child's Play on Amazon". Kia Abdullah. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0955807859/. Retrieved December 2009.
- ^ "About". Kia Abdullah. http://www.kia-abdullah.com/about.html. Retrieved November 2007.
- ^ Abdullah, Kia (17 May 2006). Life, Love and Assimilation. Adlibbed Ltd. pp. 172. ISBN 978-1897312001.
- ^ "BBC Asian Network Audio Interview". Anita Rani Show. http://www.kia-abdullah.com/files/Kia_BBC.mp3. Retrieved 22 June 2006.
- ^ "Being Talked About". Kia Abdullah. http://www.kia-abdullah.com/blog/2006_07_01_kia-abdullah_archive.html. Retrieved 26 July 2006.
- ^ "Guardian Profile". Kia Abdullah. http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/kiaabdullah. Retrieved 02 February 2009.
- ^ "Portfolio". List of articles. http://www.kia-abdullah.com/portfolio.html. Retrieved 02 February 2009.
- ^ "Behind the Bling". BBC Asian Network. http://www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork/documentaries/behindthebling.shtml. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
- ^ "Beyond the Pale". Channel 4 News. http://geo.channel4.com/news/articles/society/beyond+the+pale/721352. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
- ^ "Making Her Mark". The Wharf. http://icthewharf.icnetwork.co.uk/thisweek/news/tm_objectid=17159313&method=full&siteid=71670&headline=making-her-mark--name_page.html. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
- ^ "The Real Thing" (PDF). The Evening Standard. http://www.kia-abdullah.com/files/Evening.pdf. Retrieved 25 July 2007.
- ^ "About". Kia Abdullah. http://www.kia-abdullah.com/about.html. Retrieved November 2007.
- ^ "Blog: Heartbroken". Kia Abdullah. http://www.kia-abdullah.com/blog/2006/07/heartbroken.html. Retrieved July 2006.
- ^ "Blog: Imperfect Love". Kia Abdullah. http://www.kia-abdullah.com/blog/2009/01/imperfect-love.html. Retrieved January 2009.
- ^ "Blog: Scales of Indifference". Kia Abdullah. http://www.kia-abdullah.com/blog/2009/04/scales-of-indifference.html. Retrieved April 2009.
- ^ "Blog: We Ain't Got No Alibi". Kia Abdullah. http://www.kia-abdullah.com/blog/2008/09/we-aint-got-no-alibi.html. Retrieved September 2008.
- ^ "Blog: End of an Era". Kia Abdullah. http://www.kia-abdullah.com/blog/2008/08/end-of-era.html. Retrieved August 2008.
- ^ "Blog: Silver Tongues". Kia Abdullah. http://www.kia-abdullah.com/blog/2008/06/silver-tongues.html. Retrieved June 2008.
- ^ "Blog: Pictures". Kia Abdullah. http://www.kia-abdullah.com/blog/2007/03/pictures.html. Retrieved March 2007.
- ^ "Blog: Infidel". Kia Abdullah. http://www.kia-abdullah.com/blog/2007/02/infidel.html. Retrieved February 2007.
- ^ "Celebrity Squares". Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/apr/18/kia.abdullah. Retrieved April 2008.
- ^ "Blog: Imperfect Love". Kia Abdullah. http://www.kia-abdullah.com/blog/2009/01/imperfect-love.html. Retrieved January 2009.
External links
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