Tahmima Anam - The Good Muslim

I would first like to thank my parents, Shaheen and Mahfuz Anam, who have continued to stand by me through all the ups and downs of the writing life. They remind me constantly of what is at stake when I write; they teach me by example, by living lives of engagement, integrity and service. My gratitude to them is boundless. My sister and great ally, Shaveena, brings her love, humor and serenity to our every moment together. I thank her especially for her early and insightful reading of the book. My grandmother Musleha Islam continues to be a source of inspiration. I would also like to thank all the Farouq/Faruk/Islams for so generously allowing me to document some of the images and incidents of our shared history.

Sarah Chalfant is my agent, and also a kindred spirit and guardian angel. She makes it possible for me to take my job seriously. I thank her with all my heart.

Terry Karten is a writer’s dream come true. I will never forget a long afternoon, soon after I finished a draft of the book, where we held a conversation that spanned what felt like a great universe of subjects somehow all connected to this novel. Her insights and keen sensitivity have touched and elevated so much of this book. Long may our dialogue continue.

This book has seen me reunited with Anya Serota. As an editor, she has uncannily astute instincts and a magical touch. As a beloved friend, she is loyal, generous and a ray of sunshine. I am immensely lucky to have her as both.

I am so grateful for the enthusiasm that Jamie Byng and his colleagues at Canongate have shown for this book. I could not imagine a better home for it.

I am one of the lucky writers who has the secret weapon of Donna Poppy in their arsenal. Thank you, Donna, for saving me from myself.

I am grateful to Charles Buchan, and all at the Wylie Agency, for spreading my work to far corners of the world. I send particular thanks to Elisabetta Migliavada and my friends at Garzanti, who have made me feel so at home in Italy. Thank you also to Meru Gokhale for her enthusiasm, and for providing feedback at a particularly crucial moment in the process.

My friends are responsible for keeping me in high spirits, despite the many lonely hours locked away in front of my desk. I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Joe Treasure for many years of friendship and artistic collaboration. I would also like to thank Alice Albinia, Kamila Shamsie, Leesa Gazi, Priya Basil, Sohini Alam, Sona Bari, Eeshita Azad and Tash Aw.

As I finished writing this book, I became engaged to the most wonderful man. He told me he loved me every day as I struggled with this book; he encouraged me to work harder, to push the limits of my will and ability, and he asked me always to reach for the very highest, in life and in art. For all that, and so much more — Roli, this one’s for you.

Tahmima Anamwas born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and grew up in Paris, Bangkok, and New York. She holds a PhD in social anthropology from Harvard University. Her writing has been published in Granta , the New York Times , the Guardian , and the Financial Times. A Golden Age , her first novel, was the winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book. She lives in London and Dhaka.