Writers HANIF & CARLO KUREISHI: on how Hanif's shocking accident has re-shaped their relationship as father and son.

In today’s episode, we’re joined by prolific screenwriter and author Hanif Kureishi and his son, fellow writer Carlo Kureishi.Many of you will already know Hanif for his formidable career as a novelist, playwright, and screenwriter, with landmark works including the Oscar-nominated screenplay My Beautiful Laundrette and the acclaimed novel The Buddha of Suburbia, followed by books and films such as Intimacy and Venus. His contributions to British culture have earned him a CBE and an archive at the British Library.In 2022, Hanif’s life came to a devastating halt. A badly landed fall on Boxing Day left him paralysed from the neck down. During his long and painful recovery, he began writing about his experience - but unable to use his hands, he dictated his thoughts instead: first to his partner Isabella, and later to his sons Sachin, Kier, and Carlo. These reflections became his powerful memoir, Shattered.After Hanif’s eventual return home, he and Carlo continued this father-and-son collaboration, evolving into a compelling writing partnership and becoming one of Substack’s standout voices.What drew me to invite them both on wasn’t only an interview I’d heard between Hanif and Cathy Newman on Channel 4 shortly after his return home, but also this unprecedented shift in a father-and-son relationship - one that is not just deeply personal, but profoundly professional. Sparked by Hanif’s shocking accident, their partnership speaks to a stark and inspiring triumph in the face of adversity, while never glossing over the brutal reality of living in a body that no longer does what you want it to.It was a huge privilege to have them both on, with heartfelt thanks to our generous hosts at Le Petit Citron.A quick content note: this episode includes discussion of suicidal ideation.*And finally, due to some technical difficulties, we weren’t able to use the audio recorded by our microphones, so we apologise in advance for the sound quality - this episode was recorded on an iPhone. The joys of technology. *If you like what you hear, it would be so appreciated if you could rate, review and subscribe - we love hearing your thoughts and feedback. So tell us what you think!*Created | Hosted | Produced by Angharad George-CareyMastered and Compressed | by Volkan KiziltugArtwork | by Silvy Weatherall*WATCH US on YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/@somethingiveneversaidFOLLOW US on INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/somethingiveneversaidWRITE TO US on EMAIL: [email protected]