Evening all. Sorry for the lack of posting lately. I've just started a new job and I've been fully concentrating on trying to make a good impression there.
Anyway, despite the heading, tonight's post won't follow the same format as a previous post about being Scottish. I'm not English after all so I'm not exactly best placed to comment on acting it! Instead I'm going to write about Shappi Khorsandi's autobiography which shares the title.
For those of you that don't know, Shappi Khorsandi is an Iranian-born comedian who is currently very big on the stand up circuit and is one of my personal favourites. She is seemingly effortlessly funny combining the mundane with the ridiculous and a good chunk of the serious in her routines.
Beneath the seemingly normal middle-class lady with an extraordinary ability to make people laugh is a more profound story and, refreshingly, it is this that the book concentrates on rather than her rise to fame.
Khorsandi moved to England as a small child with her family in the 80's (before it became fashionable as she puts it). Her father is an Iranian satirist who fell foul of the new regime. Quickly his position in Iran became untenable and he moved to England with his wife and children.
The book starts by describing Shappi's early life in Iran and then goes on to describe the move to London. A major theme is her desperation to fit in with her peers and she regularly describes her frustration at her mother's inability (and unwillingness) to comprehend the subtleties of certain aspects of British life. Lot's of this centres around the issue of food and it's power to unite or divide. Fish fingers and cheese sandwiches were two particular examples that stuck in my mind. Khorsandi also describes in some detail the reactions of others to her. Pleasingly the stories of racism are balanced by tales of kindness and generosity ranging from supportive and encouraging teachers to downstairs neighbours that indoctrinate her and her brother into British biscuits. The overall impression I took from it was that she and her family experienced general kindness and good-humour on their arrival which is refreshing to hear.
Another theme that runs throughout the book is the continuing trouble her father suffered at the hands of the Iranian authorities. Despite the fact that they were in exile in England, the regime sent assassins after Khorsandi snr necessitating a period spent in hiding (that did not go quite to plan). Before this sounds too sensationalist, Shappi recounts stories of other enemies of the Iranian regime who came to violent ends.
The book is written from the perspective of a child (albeit a very articulate one) which adds a layer of charm to the writing. It also reflects the priorities of a child which leads to moments of genuine hilarity despite the fact that the book isn't written for laughs. It also creates very moving moments: particularly when she reproduces letters she penned to the Shah of Iran begging him not to kill her father because she loved him so much and assuring him that, should the two ever meet, they would get on. It reflects how terrifying the situation must have been for a small child who was barely able to understand what was going on but grasped the gravity of the situation anyway.
I really enjoyed reading this and would recommend it even if you are not a fan of Khorsandi's comedy. As I say, the book isn't written for laughs and only has occasional mention of her later career. Instead it serves as a fascinating account of London in the '80s from an outsider's perspective and from a child's perspective. It also offers a succinct and clear account of the political upheaval occurring in Iran at the time; not something of which I was previously aware but something I have gone on to find out about through interested generated by the book.
Well worth a read.
JR
Anyway, despite the heading, tonight's post won't follow the same format as a previous post about being Scottish. I'm not English after all so I'm not exactly best placed to comment on acting it! Instead I'm going to write about Shappi Khorsandi's autobiography which shares the title.
For those of you that don't know, Shappi Khorsandi is an Iranian-born comedian who is currently very big on the stand up circuit and is one of my personal favourites. She is seemingly effortlessly funny combining the mundane with the ridiculous and a good chunk of the serious in her routines.
Beneath the seemingly normal middle-class lady with an extraordinary ability to make people laugh is a more profound story and, refreshingly, it is this that the book concentrates on rather than her rise to fame.
Khorsandi moved to England as a small child with her family in the 80's (before it became fashionable as she puts it). Her father is an Iranian satirist who fell foul of the new regime. Quickly his position in Iran became untenable and he moved to England with his wife and children.
The book starts by describing Shappi's early life in Iran and then goes on to describe the move to London. A major theme is her desperation to fit in with her peers and she regularly describes her frustration at her mother's inability (and unwillingness) to comprehend the subtleties of certain aspects of British life. Lot's of this centres around the issue of food and it's power to unite or divide. Fish fingers and cheese sandwiches were two particular examples that stuck in my mind. Khorsandi also describes in some detail the reactions of others to her. Pleasingly the stories of racism are balanced by tales of kindness and generosity ranging from supportive and encouraging teachers to downstairs neighbours that indoctrinate her and her brother into British biscuits. The overall impression I took from it was that she and her family experienced general kindness and good-humour on their arrival which is refreshing to hear.
Another theme that runs throughout the book is the continuing trouble her father suffered at the hands of the Iranian authorities. Despite the fact that they were in exile in England, the regime sent assassins after Khorsandi snr necessitating a period spent in hiding (that did not go quite to plan). Before this sounds too sensationalist, Shappi recounts stories of other enemies of the Iranian regime who came to violent ends.
The book is written from the perspective of a child (albeit a very articulate one) which adds a layer of charm to the writing. It also reflects the priorities of a child which leads to moments of genuine hilarity despite the fact that the book isn't written for laughs. It also creates very moving moments: particularly when she reproduces letters she penned to the Shah of Iran begging him not to kill her father because she loved him so much and assuring him that, should the two ever meet, they would get on. It reflects how terrifying the situation must have been for a small child who was barely able to understand what was going on but grasped the gravity of the situation anyway.
I really enjoyed reading this and would recommend it even if you are not a fan of Khorsandi's comedy. As I say, the book isn't written for laughs and only has occasional mention of her later career. Instead it serves as a fascinating account of London in the '80s from an outsider's perspective and from a child's perspective. It also offers a succinct and clear account of the political upheaval occurring in Iran at the time; not something of which I was previously aware but something I have gone on to find out about through interested generated by the book.
Well worth a read.
JR
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