The Brit Writers' Awards' 2012 by Shama Naqushbandi

Last year, after finding myself unable to stop tapping poetry into my
blackberry during work, I walked into the office of a Senior Partner
in one of the world’s largest international law firms and told him in
a slightly absurd Luther King moment ‘I have a dream’. Several weeks
later, I was signed off work for a six-month career break. My dream
was simple: to write a book. For me, though, it was more than just

writing a book, it was about telling a story.

‘The White House’ is that story. My friends who know me as an

ambitious young woman in the city might presuppose that this novel is
somehow tied to some dubious plot towards world domination. But this
book is about a different kind of White House, in many ways a far more
powerful one. The title, ‘The White House’, was inspired by the name
of my grandparent’s home in a beautiful, far-off valley called
‘Kashmir’, which I used to visit as a child before the conflict began
and my visits stopped. The novel is a modern, coming of age story
which invites readers into a deeply intimate odyssey to explore what
‘home’ means in an increasingly internationalised world. It's a story
which resonates with anyone who has ever longed to belong and to be
loved - to be loved as unconditionally as the love of an absent
grandmother - and which will always be close to my heart.

I originally signed up to the BWA to motivate me to get into the
writing mode and to help focus my mind on finishing my novel. What I
loved about the initiative was its open door attitude to aspiring
writers, regardless of their literary qualifications. Although I was
fortunate to be armed with a literature degree, I did not have much
else. I wanted to write, but I did not know where to start. And then
the BWA came along. It felt like an utter privilege being shortlisted
as a finalist and invited to participate in the Awards Ceremony. As
far as I was concerned, I had won already just by being there. So you
can just imagine the shock when Anne Sebba, the Chair of the Society
of Authors, announced my name as the winner of the “Best Novel”
category!

I would like to thank the BWA for giving me the confidence to finally

take my writing into the public forum. I still can’t believe it.
Writing has always been a bit of a quiet love affair for me. Even as a
slightly introspective child, I would put pen to paper by my bed-side
table in the quiet moments. I used to write about things that touched
and affected me, impressions that had somehow left their mark on me.
When I was hardly seven years old, I can still remember telling my
mother that it was my dream to write a book one day. I can’t believe
I’ve done it. So much has changed in my life since then, but that
dream has always remained a constant - I am still that seven year old
writing by bed-light seeking to understand and to be understood. And
from the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank the BWA for taking
the effort to be such a kind listener. Thank you. Thank you. Thank
you.

Shama with her family

[For those of you wondering what I wrote during those furtive moments
in the office - you can see my 'blackberry poems' at
www.inthewhitehouse.wordpress.com :) ]

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Pictures courtesy of RKL Photography