Uzma Jalaluddin is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

writer and teacher, known for her 2018 debut novel ''Ayesha At Last''.

Career

Jalaluddin writes a column for the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

''. She is also a high school teacher, an occupation she shares with the protagonist of her first novel. During an interview, her friend, fellow novelist,

Ausma Zehanat Khan Ausma Zehanat Khan is an American-Canadian novelist and author of crime and fantasy novels. Biography Khan holds a Ph.D. in International Human Rights Law with a research specialization in military intervention and war crimes in the Balkans. Sh ...

described their writing circle, which she called ''the Sisterhood of the Pen'', that include Jalaluddin and

S.K. Ali Sajidah "S.K." Ali is an Indian-Canadian author of children's books, best known for her Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature, Asian/Pacific American Award-winning debut young adult novel ''Saints & Misfits'', about Janna Yousuf, an Indian- ...

. The trio of friends offer one another valuable advice, when they read one another's early drafts. Jalaluddin described loving reading, and always wanting to write, but finding it hard to find novels about people who looked like her, and deciding to write one herself. Jalaluddin had begun the novel when she was pregnant with her son Ibrahim, but only decided to finish the novel after telling seven-year-old Ibrahim about it. In 2017 Jalaluddin was one of several women the ''

'' interviewed, for their opinions on feminism and the future. The popularity of ''

Crazy Rich Asians ''Crazy Rich Asians'' is a satirical 2013 romantic comedy novel by Kevin Kwan. Kwan stated that his intention in writing the novel was to "introduce a contemporary Asia to a North American audience". He claimed the novel was loosely based on his ...

'', earlier in 2018, is said to have triggered a greater interest in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

acquiring other novels from writers with an Asian background. The film rights to ''Ayesha At Last'' were acquired by Amy Pascal's production company, Pascal Pictures. Pascal Pictures acquired the rights in August 2018, less than four months after the novel's Canadian and UK debut. ''Ayesha At Last'' was listed for the

Toronto Book Awards The Toronto Book Awards are Canadian literary awards, presented annually by the City of Toronto government The municipal government of Toronto ( incorporated as the City of Toronto) is the local government responsible for administering the city ...

, and was shortlisted for the 2019

Kobo Emerging Writer Prize The Kobo Emerging Writer Prize is a Canadian literary award, presented since 2015 by online e-book and audiobook retailer and eReader manufacturer Rakuten Kobo Rakuten Kobo Inc., or simply Kobo, is a Canadian company that sells ebooks, audioboo ...

, and longlisted for the Stephen Leacock Humour Award. ''

Hearst UK Hearst Communications, Inc., often referred to simply as Hearst, is an American multinational mass media and business information conglomerate based in Hearst Tower in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Hearst owns newspapers, magazines, televis ...

'' announces a

Big Book Award Big Book (russian: Большая Книга, Bolshaya Kniga) is a Russian literary award for best prose in Russian. The award is financed by the founders of the Center for the Support of Domestic Literature, Russian major businessmen and busi ...

, with each of its major publications naming one title. The novel has been favourably compared with

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...

's ''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...

''. ''

Cosmopolitan UK ''Cosmopolitan'' is an American monthly fashion and entertainment magazine for women, first published based in New York City in March 1886 as a family magazine; it was later transformed into a literary magazine and, since 1965, has become a wome ...

'' named ''Ayesha At Last'' as its 2019 choice, stating it is ''a clever homage to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice that you'll love, even if you never got round to reading the original.'' In December 2019 '' Bustle'' asked noteworthy authors of first novels to recommend their favourite novels of 2019. They selected Jalauddin, who recommended '' A Deadly Divide'', a police procedural from her friend Ausma Zehanat Khan. Her second novel, ''Hana Khan Carries On'', was published in June 2021. The novel is about a rivalry between two competing halal restaurants.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jalaluddin, Uzma 21st-century Canadian novelists Canadian women novelists Living people 21st-century Canadian women writers 1980 births Toronto Star people Canadian columnists Canadian women columnists Canadian schoolteachers 21st-century Canadian journalists 21st-century Canadian educators 21st-century Canadian women educators Canadian women educators Canadian women journalists