Attia Hosain was a British-Indian novelist, author, writer, broadcaster, journalist and actor. She was a pioneering woman of letters and a classic diasporic writer. She wrote in English making it resonate with the cadences of her mother tongue, Urdu.Although she published only two fiction books, both acclaimed, the semi-autobiographical Sunlight on a Broken Column and a collection of short stories named Phoenix Fled, her work has been recognised as one of the finest in the Indian canon. Her career began in England at the end of the 20th centuries in semi-exile, and continues to resonate with new generations of commentators and communicators, recognising her contribution to post-colonial literature. Anita Desai, Vikram Seth, Aamer Hussein and Kamila Shamsie amongst the younger generation of writers have expressed admiration for her work, and acknowledged its influence.
