logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2020
49m 20s

Fatima Bhutto - The Shadow of the Cresce...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Long-listed for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction, Bhutto’s lyrical debut novel unfolds over the course of one morning in Mir Ali, a small town in Pakistan's Tribal Areas close to the Afghan border. Set during the American invasion of Afghanistan, it chronicles the lives of five young people trying to live and love in a world on fire. On a day seemingly like any other, three brothers meet for breakfast before going their separate ways. Three hours later their day will end in devastating circumstances.

(Photo: Fatima Bhutto)

Up next
Oct 30
The Arts Hour Indian-Irish poet Nikita Gill
Nikki Bedi speaks to superstar Irish-Indian poet and New York Times-Bestselling author Nikita Gill about her latest “novel in verse Styx: The River” Plus critic Kohinoor Sahota discusses this week’s cultural highlights: Oscar-winners Aaron Sorkin and Mikey Madison on their new fi ... Show More
47m 10s
Oct 27
In the Studio: Yuko Mohri
Neil McCarthy meets Japanese artist Yuko Mohri, as she prepares for a major exhibition. Her sculptures often fuse ordinary objects, such as umbrellas, feather dusters and apples, with unstable forces such as air and water. The results are works of kinetic art that are constantly ... Show More
26m 34s
Oct 23
The Arts Hour: Elif Shafak
Nikki Bedi speaks to the Turkish-born author about her new novel In One Brief Moment All Eternity. Using the voices of different women, Shafak tells the story of 19th century French writer Gustave Flaubert, whose famous book Madame Bovary forever shaped modern fiction.We hear fro ... Show More
46 m
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2014
Afghan Women: Speaking Out, Losing Lives
A vivid portrait of the everyday lives of girls and women at a turning point in Afghan history. Lyse Doucet visits Kabul to see how the lives of Afghan girls and women have changed since the fall of the Taliban 13 years ago, and to hear concerns that these hard-won gains are alre ... Show More
27 m
Jan 2021
This is Pakistan
This week, Thea Lenarduzzi and Lucy Dallas are joined by the Karachi-based journalist Sanam Maher to discuss cliché and originality in foreign correspondents' writing on Pakistan; a whistle-stop tour through (some) of the books of 2021; Lucy Scholes reviews a clutch of novels in ... Show More
48m 59s
Mar 2025
This Palestinian American's debut novel may not be political — but her existence is
To be a Palestinian American writer right now can lead to a lot of expectation to focus on identity and devastation, but in her debut novel, Too Soon, Betty Shamieh shares the story of three generations of Palestinian women trying to find love, purpose and liberation.See pcm.adsw ... Show More
32m 26s
Dec 2021
How I Found My Voice: Fatima Bhutto
Samira Ahmed speaks to the author Fatima Bhutto about the power of writing fiction, growing up in one of Pakistan’s most famous political dynasties and why she blames her aunt, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, for the death of her father. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi ... Show More
48m 7s
Jan 2021
The Dig: Pakistan Hyperreality with Fatima Bhutto
tail spinning
1h 48m
Jan 2018
The Assassination
"Her days were numbered." Introducing Benazir Bhutto and the story of her final journey home. Eight years of self-imposed exile ended when she returned to Pakistan to campaign for high office. Pakistani politics have long been lethal and Bhutto was in no doubt about the danger sh ... Show More
19m 51s
Dec 2021
Elif Shafak
Elif Shafak, author of the acclaimed The Bastard of Istanbul and The Forty Rules of Love, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for her 2019 novel 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in This Strange World. The Turkish-British writer joins us to talk about her latest novel, The Island of Mis ... Show More
20m 10s
Jun 2023
Women writing family sagas
<p>Kim Chakanetsa meets two writers who, in their work, explore the themes of love, identity, belonging and inter-generational trauma. Min Jin Lee is a South Korean American author who wrote two novels, Free food for Millionaires and Pachinko, a multi-generational saga followi ... Show More
27m 34s