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Informationen zum Autor Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi has written plays, essays, book reviews and short stories. Her work has appeared in publications including The Independent, CeaseFire Magazine, The Theatre Times, Wasafiri and Media Diversified . Her plays have been staged widely. Ayesha also works as an editor and occasional translator. She was a contributing editor for The Trojan Horse Affair , a podcast by The New York Times . Ayesha is from Karachi and lives in London. The Centre is her first novel. Klappentext A darkly comic, boundary-pushing debut following an adrift Pakistani translator in London who attends a mysterious language school which boasts complete fluency in just ten days, but at a secret, sinister cost. Zusammenfassung 'Absolutely stunning . . . thrilling and unique' - Gillian Flynn 'Creepy, provocative and wildly entertaining' - Emma Stonex 'A banger!' - Chelsea G Summers 'Fantastic . . . compelling . . . wonderful' - The Observer Welcome to The Centre. You'll never be the same . . . Anisa Ellahi spends her days writing subtitles for Bollywood films in her London flat, all the while longing to be a translator of ‘great works of literature’. Her boyfriend Adam’s extraordinary aptitude for languages only makes her feel worse, but when Adam learns to speak Urdu practically overnight, Anisa forces him to reveal his secret. Adam tells Anisa about the Centre, an elite, invite-only programme that guarantees total fluency in any language in just ten days. Sceptical but intrigued, Anisa enrols. Stripped of her belongings and contact with the outside world, she undergoes the Centre’s strange and rigorous processes. But as she enmeshes herself further within the organization, seduced by all that it’s made possible, she soon realizes the disturbing, hidden cost of its services. By turns dark, funny and surreal, The Centre takes the reader on a journey through Karachi, London and New Delhi, interrogating the sticky politics of language, translation and appropriation with biting specificity, and ultimately asking: what price would you be willing to pay for success? A remarkable debut from Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi, announcing the arrival of an extraordinary new talent. ...
About the author
Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi has published essays, reviews, short stories, poetry, monologues, and translations, and has also written for radio and for the stage. She was also contributing editor for the Serial podcast the Trojan Horse Affair. Ayesha is from Karachi and lives in London. She’s on twitter @tweetingayesha.
Report
Fantastic . . . This Black Mirror take on the world of language opens up questions of cultural appropriation, the power of language, memory and privilege . . . Siddiqi's easy storytelling and her heroine Anisa's sweet narrative voice slip down like summer rosé. Siddiqi has the gift of maintaining propulsion and mystery, while keeping things human and realistic . . . compelling . . . wonderful The Observer
