- Kia Abdullah
Infobox Writer
name = Kia Abdullah
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birthdate = 17 May 1982 (age 26)
birthplace = London, UK
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occupation = Novelist
nationality = British
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website = http://www.kia-abdullah.comKia Abdullah (born 17 May 1982) is a Muslim British-Asian novelist and writer. She has written one novel, "Life, Love and Assimilation", published in 2006.
Biography
Kia Abdullah was born and raised in Tower Hamlets in East London. Having graduated with a BSc degree in Computer Science, Abdullah left her initial career in technology, opting to become a writer instead. cite web | title=About | work=Kia Abdullah | url=http://www.kia-abdullah.com/about.html | accessmonthday=November | accessyear=2007]
Abdullah’s first novel, "Life, Love and Assimilation", debuted amongst praise and controversy in equal measures. The Bangladeshi community, including members of Abdullah’s own family denounced the book due to its no-holds-barred description of the drugs problem in Tower Hamlets, along with the inclusion of several sexual scenes. cite web | title=BBC Asian Network Audio Interview| work=Anita Rani Show | url=http://www.kia-abdullah.com/files/Kia_BBC.mp3 | accessmonthday=22 June| accessyear=2006]
Despite the controversy, Abdullah remains firm in her view that issues should be explored, saying: “I have a voice and I’ll say what I want with it. I am not backing down. I am not staging a retreat. Let people say what they want to say.” cite web | title=Being Talked About| work=Kia Abdullah | url=http://www.kia-abdullah.com/blog/2006_07_01_kia-abdullah_archive.html | accessmonthday=26 July| accessyear=2006]
In addition to writing her second novel, Abdullah works as a Sub-Editor for international glossy magazine, "Asian Woman", and writes a weekly column for "The Docklands" newspaper. She is regularly called upon to comment on issues affecting the Asian community, and has appeared on documentaries and news reports for the BBC cite web | title=Behind the Bling| work=BBC Asian Network | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork/documentaries/behindthebling.shtml | accessmonthday=23 July| accessyear=2007] and Channel 4 cite web | title=Beyond the Pale| work=Channel 4 News | url=http://geo.channel4.com/news/articles/society/beyond+the+pale/721352 | accessmonthday=2 August| accessyear=2007] .
Works
Abdullah’s debut novel, "Life, Love and Assimilation", drew comparisons with Monica Ali's "Brick Lane" cite web | title=Making Her Mark| work=The Wharf| url=http://icthewharf.icnetwork.co.uk/thisweek/news/tm_objectid=17159313&method=full&siteid=71670&headline=making-her-mark--name_page.html | accessmonthday=2 August| accessyear=2007] . Despite feeling “honoured” by this comparison to Ali, Abdullah says, “I feel that we are being pigeonholed together simply because of the content of our novels.” cite web | title=The Real Thing | work=The Evening Standard| url=http://www.kia-abdullah.com/files/Evening.pdf | accessmonthday=25 July| accessyear=2007]
"Life, Love and Assimilation" was inspired by Abdullah’s own life. She says, “I wanted to write a novel that did not sugarcoat what it's like to be last in the pecking order of society; a female member of a racial minority with a faith that is plundered and vilified all across the western world. I wanted to show what it's really like to be a modern Asian woman caught between two cultures, two minds and two hearts.” cite web | title=About | work=Kia Abdullah | url=http://www.kia-abdullah.com/about.html | accessmonthday=November | accessyear=2007]
References
External links
* [http://www.kia-abdullah.com Kia Abdullah's Official Site]
* [http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1897312008 Amazon page for "Life, Love and Assimilation"]
* [http://www.insidedesi.com/2008/04/01/ki-a-ladki-hai%e2%80%a6-by-kaynath-parvez/ Kia Abdullah's interview with InsideDesi]
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