Description

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A compelling autobiography of the rebellious life of novelist, screenwriter, and Black Panther Farrukh Dhondy

Farrukh Dhondy was born in Poona in 1944 and came to England to study in 1965. Here he threw himself into political activism. He joined the Indian Workers Association, and then the British Black Panthers and Race Today, where he worked alongside Darcus Howe, C L R James and leading figures of the liberation movement.

In between he was leading squatter strikes in Brixton, hanging with Pink Floyd, and interviewing the Beatles. In the 1980s he started to write and was also made the commissioning editor of mulitcultural programming at Channel 4 TV, and was instrumental in bringing Desmonds, and Tandoori Nights to the screen, as well as groundbreaking Bandung File documentaries. His first novel, Bombay Duck, won the Whitbread prize in 1980.

In Fragments Against My Ruin, Dhondy explores his life of moments to salvage against the ruin of age. It is a fascinating portrait of politics, culture, friendship and the determination to break down boundaries. Packed with fascinating stories from why Jeffrey Archer was arrested as well as portraits of figures such as Richard Attenborough, C.L.R. James, Arundhati Roy, V.S. Naipaul, and Charles Sobhraj.

About the Author

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Farrukh Dhondy is an award winning author, screenwriter and activist. Born in Poona, India in 1944 in a Parsi family. He was awarded a scholarship to read English at Cambridge University. While a schoolteacher in the Midlands and London, He was also involved with political activism. In 1984, he worked as Commissioning Editor, Multicultural Programming, for Channel 4 TV, UK. As an author he has won the Whitbread prize for his first novel, Bombay Ducks and he regularly writes for broadcast and newspapers.