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Shamsie’s ‘Home Fire’ wins Women’s Prize for Fiction
Shamsie’s seventh book is no stranger to awards. Last year, it was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.
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'Home Fire' by Kamila Shamsie (JP/Devina Heriyanto)
H
ome Fire, British-Pakistani author Kamila Shamsie's seventh novel, is no stranger to literary awards, having been long-listed for the Man Booker Prize last year. Now, it has won the 2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction.
A modern twist on the Greek myth of Antigone, Home Fire follows the struggles the British people of Pakistani descent face as they try to be accepted in society.
Shamsie has been praised for discussing contemporary Islamic issues, including jihadist fighters and terrorism.
Read also: Interview: Kamila Shamsie talks about 'Home Fire', minorities and terrorism
The chair of the jury panel, Sarah Sands, said the jury selected the novel as the winning title because they felt it spoke for our times.
“Home Fire is about identity, conflicting loyalties, love and politics. And it sustains mastery of its themes and its form. It is a remarkable book which we passionately recommend,” said Sands, as quoted by The Guardian.
“It is very readable, it’s extremely well written, it’s well plotted, it’s something that could easily be a brilliant television series or film. It’s not that you’re thinking, ‘This is a novel about politics, I need to plow through',” Sands added. (jes/kes)
