A. P. Firdaus
Writer of trivial, fantastical things
Writer of trivial, fantastical things
90s nostalgia.
Memories of India's partition.
Fascists making fools of themselves.
And a vulture who will not stand for foul language.
About Remember, Mr Sharma
Delhi, 1997: It is India's 50th year of independence, the year of Hindu nationalists and atomic bombs. But 12-year-old Adi has a bigger problem: his Ma has gone missing – again.
Left with an ailing grandmother, a raging father and no answers, he finds an unlikely ally: a talking vulture who reveals itself to be a bureaucrat from the 'Department of Historical Adjustment'. The Department holds Adi's family files, which will take him on a journey through time and memory, through fifty years of India’s history, uncovering the darkest secrets of his Ma’s past. But first, he must unlock them by facing his greatest fears.
As bright and hopeful as it is devastating, Remember, Mr Sharma explores the ways in which we view the past, its inescapable hold over us and the stories we tell to set ourselves free.
‘A magical tale of a troubled family.‘
The Telegraph
‘Sublime. A fantastic debut from a promising new literary voice.’
Nick Bradley, author of Four Seasons in Japan
‘Charming and endearing . . . a moving story about the past and the shadow it forever leaves on the present.’
Huma Qureshi, author of Things We Do Not Tell the People We Love
A. P. Firdaus grew up in northern India, lost in books to escape the brutish, blinding summers. He worked as writer for two decades, living in Delhi, Mumbai, Singapore and Berlin, until he finally outwitted the sun by moving to London. He holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, where he was awarded an International Excellence Scholarship. His first novel, Remember, Mr Sharma, won the Bath Novel Award and was featured on the BBC2 book club. His second novel is coming soon. Literally any day now, he promises.
Awards
Winner, Bath Novel Award 2021
Longlisted, Commonwealth Writers Prize 2021
Winner, Writing the City 2018, British Council Singapore
Press
Interview, Bath Novel Award
Press Release: Sceptre bags Firdaus's award-winning debut novel
Launch event: In conversation at Battersea Bookstore, London
BBC Between the Covers: Featured on the TV book club
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For compliments, criticisms and general trolling, write to me.