Chapters (41)
‘Superbly written short fiction … Hussein’s writing is full of strange and brilliant images, which seem utterly modern, but rooted in history and magic … the writing is both delicate and powerful.’ William Palmer, Independent
‘Hussein is a sensuous writer in whose stories nature acts as a balm on even the most weary of sensibilities.’ Literary Review
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Aamer Hussein
TURQUOISE
Direct yet startlingly intimate, Hussein’s stories are set in troubled times – in Karachi, Lahore and London, where war, partition and military rule form the backdrop for the anticipation and anxiety of changing homes and family life, the hopes and failures of love and work. Turquoise illuminates the passions and fears of a world far more complex and beautiful than the media images of Islam and Pakistan convey.
‘One of the most significant and interesting writers of Pakistani English fiction.’ Muneeza Shamsie
‘Turquoise must be read slowly to savour its many pleasures ... The fluid prose is sometimes simple and pristine, sometimes sinuous and visceral ... The stories’ imagery is radiant.’ Mary Flanagan, Independent
‘Hussein writes with the economy and skill of a poet ... romance, imagination and their capacity to make sense of the world are qualities found in abundance in his work.’ James W. Wood, TLS
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Aamer Hussein
THIS OTHER SALT
Betrayal, bereavement, exile, belonging – these are the themes that resonate throughout This Other Salt. A writer torn between two loves looks for his lost words in the gap between memory, mourning and desire; a poet takes revenge on her faithless lover by turning their romance into a legend of biblical proportions; and a teenage boy’s life uncannily begins to resemble the role he plays in a school operetta. Combining satire, legend, poetry, history and memoir, the linked stories of This Other Salt reveal an author of uncommon talent at the height of his craft.
‘Poetic perfection ... Drawing on legend, history, memoir, literature and film, Hussein’s stories are meant to be cupped in both hands and savoured slowly, like a cup of cardamom chai.’ Guardian
‘Extraordinarily controlled, written in a tactile, musical prose, with a very individual sense of beauty ... A striking and genuinely original contribution ... a moving and highly aesthetic expression of a new sensibility.’ Amit Chaudhuri
‘Each story sings with heartbreak, intelligence and elegy. A stunning collection.’ Kamila Shamsie