Sairish Hussain

Last updated
Sairish Hussain
Born1992
Bradford, England
Alma mater University of Huddersfield

Sairish Hussain (born 1992) is a British novelist and lecturer in creative writing. Her debut novel The Family Tree (2020) was shortlisted for a Costa Book Award and the Portico Prize. This was followed by Hidden Fires (2024). In her writing, she is known for her portrayals of British-Pakistani families.

Contents

Early life and education

Hussain is from Bradford. Her mother Perveen is an Urdu and Punjabi translator. [1] Hussain attended Rhodesway Secondary School. [2] She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from the University of Huddersfield. As she received a first, [3] she earned a scholarship to continue her studies at Huddersfield onto a Master of Arts (MA) and PhD. She has since lectured at the university as a research fellow in creative writing. [4]

Career

Hussain first came up with the idea for her debut novel about a British-Pakistani Muslims family, centred around a recently widowed single father Amjad and his two daughters Saahil and Zahra, [5] during her final undergraduate year in 2014, began writing it during her MA, and completed it while pursuing her PhD. Shortly after at a 2017 Bradford Literature Festival, she met Lisa Milton of HarperCollins, who expressed interest in the novel, through which Hussain secured her first book deal with the imprint HQ. [6] Her motivation with the novel, titled The Family Tree and published in 2020, was to challenge stereotypes and portray a realistic family. For example, The Family Tree depicts a positive father–daughter relationship, which Hussain found rare in media. [7]

The Family Tree was shortlisted for the Portico Prize, given to novels that "evoke the spirit of the North", [8] and the Costa Book Award for First Novel. At age 28, Hussain was the youngest Costa Book Award nominee. [2] The novel was also longlisted for The Guardian's Not the Booker Prize, [9] shortlisted at the Diverse Book (DB) Awards in the Adult category, [10] and named a Hidden Gem by Calibre Audio. [11]

For the National Centre for Writing in June 2021, Kei Miller named Hussain on his list of the UK's 10 best emerging writers. [12] She was then selected as a finalist for the 2022 Women's Prize x Good Housekeeping Futures Award. [6]

As confirmed in September 2023, [13] Hussain reunited with the HarperCollins imprint HQ for the publication of her second novel Hidden Fires in January 2024. The novel, about a British-Pakistani teenager Rubi who goes to stay with her grandfather Yusuf, is set in 2017 amid the backdrop of the Grenfell Tower fire and the 70th anniversary of the Partition of India. [14] [15] [16] When conducting research on the Partition, Hussain found the elderly men in the documentaries she watched reminded her of her own grandfather. [17] In both her novels, Hussain "humanises" the British-Pakistani community through counter-narratives. [7]

Personal life

Hussain lives in Fairweather Green, Bradford. She has also worked as a healthcare assistant on the sonography team of a local maternity unit. [1]

Bibliography

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References

  1. 1 2 "Healthcare Assistant Sairish publishes first novel with Harper Collins". Bradford Teaching Hospitals. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  2. 1 2 Clayton, Emma (26 November 2020). "Young Bradford writer up for major award for debut novel". Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  3. ↑ Nazir, Farah (15 July 2020). "Woman of the Week: Sairish Hussain". Hikaayat. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  4. ↑ "New Sairish Hussain novel acclaimed for epic yet intimate tale". University of Huddersfield. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  5. ↑ Forbes, Malcolm (11 March 2021). "Sairish Hussain on the inspiration for her debut novel: "Where was my story being told?"". The National. Retrieved 23 September 2024.(subscription required)
  6. 1 2 Finney, Joanne (30 December 2021). "Meet the Futures finalists: Sairish Hussain". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  7. 1 2 Sabir, Ayman; Fleming, Iona; Barr, Katie; Bowskill, Eleanor. "Historical Importance, Representation and Taboos in Sairish Hussain's Hidden Fires". The Publishing Post. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  8. ↑ Anderson, Porter (7 December 2021). "The United Kingdom's 2022 Portico Prize Announces Its Shortlist". Publishing Perspexrives. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  9. ↑ Ford, Steve (10 December 2020). "HCA nominated for two major book prizes after penning debut novel". Nursing Times. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  10. ↑ "The Shortlist". The Diverse Book (DB) Awards. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  11. ↑ "Sairish Hussain – Meet the Author". Suffolk Libraries. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  12. ↑ Miller, Kei (19 June 2021). "Kei Miller selects the UK's 10 best emerging writers". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  13. ↑ Brown, Lauren (25 September 2024). "HQ acquires second novel by Costa Prize-shortlisted Hussain". The Bookseller. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  14. ↑ O'Keeffe, Alice (22 September 2023). "Sairish Hussain discusses her new novel, family ties and the legacy of Partition". The Bookseller. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  15. ↑ Vickers, Carys (8 December 2023). "Hidden Fires: Interview with Sairish Hussain". New Writing North. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  16. ↑ Naseem, Sumaiyya (14 February 2024). "Hidden Fires: On British-Pakistani family grief and healing". The New Arab. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  17. ↑ Huddleston, Yvette (25 March 2024). "Interview with Bradford author Sairish Hussain about her new novel Hidden Fires". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 21 September 2024.(subscription required)
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