Books / Nikesh Shukla
Live show at St George’s Bristol celebrates 10-year anniversary of Nikesh Shukla’s ‘The Good Immigrant’
Nikesh Shukla is a prolific Bristol novelist, editor, screenwriter, speaker and influential cultural thinker.
His novels include Coconut Unlimited, Meatspace and The One Who Wrote Destiny; he has also written YA books Run, Riot, The Boxer, and Stand Up, as well as the chapter book The Council of Good Friends for younger readers.
With support from Sundance, his 2021 memoir Brown Baby is now being adapted into a feature film, co-written with his friend and collaborator Himesh Patel.
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However, of all his work, it is perhaps 2016’s The Good Immigrant – comprising 21 essays, edited by Shukla – for which he is best known.
Original cover for The Good Immigrant (2016), edited by Nikesh Shukla – photo: Unbound
Initially turned down by publishers and crowd-funded in just three days, the anthology was eventually published by Unbound and went on to become a Sunday Times bestseller, as well as winning the Reader’s Choice Award at the inaugural Books Are My Bag awards that same year.
All the contributing writers are Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME): amongst them actor Riz Ahmed, journalist Coco Khan, playwright Vinay Patel, poet Inua Ellams, refugee rights campaigner Sabir Zazai, comedian Nish Kumar, writer Wei Ming Kam and actress Vera Chok.
Nikesh Shukla – photo: courtesy of the author
Shukla is about to embark on a UK tour with The Good Immigrant: LIVE, which will come to St George’s Bristol on September 15.
Reflecting on how things have changed 10 years on, he will be chairing a panel discussion with three essayists from the original book: author and poet Salena Gooden, journalist and broadcaster Kieran Yates, and educator and philosopher Dr Darren Chetty.
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The Good Immigrant: LIVE, 10th Anniversary with Nikesh Shukla and guests is at St George’s Bristol on September 15 at 7.30pm. Visit stgeorgesbristol.co.uk for tickets.
The 10th anniversary edition of the book will be released on September 10, published by Canongate. It is available for pre-order now.
Main photo: Fane Productions
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