Kamila Shamsie, Burnt Shadows

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Kamila Shamsie is a leading figure in the so-called “boom” of Pakistani English-language writers in the 2000s, a group that includes Nadeem Aslam, Mohsin Hamid, Daniyal Mueenuddin, and others. Her fifth novel,

Burnt Shadows

, first published in 2009, was greeted with an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, and a shortlist placement for the Orange Prize in fiction. While Shamsie’s previous novels take place primarily in her city of origin, Karachi,

Burnt Shadows

marks a significant expansion in Shamsie’s imaginative landscape.

Burnt Shadows

is a historical novel and family drama of immense sweep. The novel traces the intertwined lives of two families (the Tanaka-Ashrafs and the Weiss-Burtons) across five different countries, whose friendship both strides and stumbles across the rocky terrain…

1892 words

Citation: O'Loughlin, Liam. "Burnt Shadows". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 September 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=26540, accessed 24 November 2024.]

26540 Burnt Shadows 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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