Kamal Kaan
Kamal Kaan was born in Bradford and studied at the universities of Cambridge and Glasgow. He won a place on the Royal Court’s writers programme and after living away for a few years he is now back in Yorkshire.
What’s your first Yorkshire memory? My first real memory of Yorkshire is when I left. I arrived at King’s College, Cambridge, and thought the stone looks familiar – it’s built from yellow Yorkshire sandstone imported all the way down from Yorkshire in 1446. Wherever I see it now, it always reminds me of home.
What’s your favourite part of the county and why? Of course I’m going to be biased and say Bradford. It’s home and it’s where the heart is. All my sisters got married and live around Bradford and there’s an incredible sense of connection with and between people. It may not have the gloss of the bigger cities, but makes up for it in spirit.
What’s your idea of a perfect weekend/day out in Yorkshire? Waking up in a cabin lodge in Otley, then breakfast at the LS6 cafe in Leeds before a wander around the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, followed by afternoon tea in Castle Howard. I’d catch a show at the beautiful Alhambra theatre in Bradford, followed by a spicy curry at Akbar’s restaurant in Bradford. Finally, I’d watch the sun go down in Whitby, then spend the night staying at my favourite hotel, Swinton Park at Masham.
Do you have a favourite walk, or view? The Cow and Calf Rocks in Ilkley. I love the fact that the place has a whole narrative behind it. The legend says that the Calf was split from the Cow when the giant Rombald was fleeing an enemy and stamped on the rock as he leapt across the valley. There is something incredibly romantic about that view.
Which Yorkshire stage or screen star (past or present) would you like to take for lunch, and why?
Sir Ben Kingsley. I almost got to meet him when he was shooting a film whilst I was at Cambridge. The cast were all wearing black tie, so my friend Andrew and I borrowed someone’s tuxedo and charmed our way onto the set. We ended up being extras in the film, but I never met the main man.
If you had to name your Yorkshire ‘hidden gem’, what or where would it be? An artwork by James Turrell called Deer Shelter Skyspace at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. You enter into what I can only describe as like a concrete tomb and then you sit down and then you look up to a square aperture cut into the roof. Through this aperture, you get a heightened vision of the sky.
What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity? There’s something about horizon lines that you don’t find anywhere else in the country and living in Bradford, you get the most stunning views, looking out over valleys, which fill you with this brilliant sense of wonder and determination. Like its textile history, it certainly is a tapestry of cultures, beliefs and identities.
How do you immerse yourself in Yorkshire’s cultural life? Yorkshire has a fantastic all-you-can-eat buffet of theatres, art galleries, parks and shops. It’s never a disappointment and never leaves you with indigestion after. You’re just left with that full feeling – at the end of a hearty meal. Do you have a favourite restaurant or pub? There’s a Gujarati vegetarian restaurant called Hansa’s in Leeds. It’s real homemade style and if you go to the kitchen downstairs, you can see the women in the saris cooking the food, which reminds me of my mum.
Do you have a favourite gallery?
The Yorkshire Sculpture Park. It’s quite spectacular how they manage to attract such stellar artists as Antony Gormley, Ai Weiwei and Anish Kapoor to exhibit there. The first ever date I went on, we went to the park. It holds so many happy memories – memories that are now great monuments to a love that no longer is...