Author wants readers to see magic in life
A DURBAN author and artist has published her memoir that takes the reader on her life’s journey and travels around the world.
The book, How I Accidentally Became a Global Stock Photo and Other Strange and Wonderful Stories was digitally launched this week by Shubnum Khan.
Khan, of Asherville, said she wants people to see the magic in life.
She takes the reader on her journey and experiences around the world. Whether it is teaching children in a remote village in the Himalayas, becoming a bride on the rooftop in Shanghai, accidentally becoming a global stock photo and jumping in the ocean in Turkey and being pulled out by Turkish fishermen.
“I chose the strangest stories from my travels and also stories I thought would inspire other people.
“A lot of the times I was scared when these things happened or before I could travel. I still went along and did it. I am hoping that by putting it together in a book people would be inspired to go on their own adventures.
“I write from the perspective of a woman travelling and experiencing the world on her own. I had always travelled with my family and travelling alone made me see things in a different way,” said Khan.
Khan said she had been talking with the publisher about the book from 2018, but spent the most part of the start of lockdown writing.
“I had some interesting experiences and travels and decided to share stories on social media and that’s when the publisher approached me and said my stories were so interesting, funny and weird and asked if I didn’t want to put it into a book to share. That was the inspiration, that someone wanted to see it out in a book and share the stories with more people.
“I had just been living my life and suddenly strange things were happening.
“Each story is different and I just chose the weirdest and strangest ones,” said Khan.
She said she wanted people to be brave and do things they were scared to do.
“I want people to look for the extraordinary. This book is for anyone who is afraid to do stuff.”
Also included in her book is her reflections on culture and religion as well as musings on family, relationships and love.
In the chapter
“I was supposed to be a tragedy”, Khan wrote: “I am the last born of four daughters in an Indian family, which obviously means my birth was a tragedy. Well, at least for those who congratulated my mother with, ‘I’m so sorry’, or, ‘Better luck next time’, or who said things amongst themselves like it was a shame that it was a girl, again.
“Now I don’t have kids so I’m not sure what it’s like but can you imagine carrying a human being inside you for the better part of a year and going through blood, sweat and tears to get it out only to hear, ‘Better luck next time!’ ”
While doing her masters in creative writing, Khan’s debut novel Onion Tears was born. It was shortlisted for the Penguin Prize for African Writing and the University of Johannesburg Debut Prize for Writing in English.
How I Accidentally Became a Global