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Art Malik reads Hanif Kureishi's brutally frank memoir of his life after the fall that left him almost completely paralysed.

‘A few days ago, a bomb went off in my life, but this bomb has also shattered the lives of those around me.’

On Boxing Day 2022, in Rome, Hanif Kureishi had a fall. When he came to, he was horrified to realise he had lost the use of his limbs, and was now completely dependent on the help of others, requiring constant hospital care. So began an odyssey of a year through the medical systems of Italy and the UK, with the hope of somehow being able to return home to his house in London.

While confined to a series of hospital wards, he felt compelled to write, and, unable to type or to hold a pen, he began to dictate his thoughts to family members. The result is an extraordinary series of dispatches from his hospital bed – a diary of a life in pieces, recorded with rare honesty, clarity and courage. It's also a portrait of a new life, shaped by new feelings – of gratitude, humility and love.

Today: With a return to his home in London within sight, Kureishi struggles with his new identity

Writer: Hanif Kureishi
Reader: Art Malik
Abridger: Julian Wilkinson
Producer: Justine Willett