Rosie Dastgir

On behalf of The Zoë Pagnamenta Agency

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Books

Associate: Seren Adams

Books

Rosie Dastgir was born in England to a Pakistani father and an English mother. She was educated at Oxford University, and received an MFA in film from NYU. She worked at the BBC and wrote a number of screenplays and a play about the NHS. She lives in London with her husband and two daughters.

A SMALL FORTUNE, her first novel, was published by Quercus (in the UK) in February 2012 and Riverhead (in the US) in May 2012.

For foreign rights enquiries, please contact Zoe Pagnamenta - zoe@zpagency.com. Her film and TV rights are represented by Curtis Brown.

Praise for A SMALL FORTUNE (2012)

'A Small Fortune is funny, poignant, true and sad, and I was enthralled' Minneapolis Star Tribune

'Dastgir follows the braided, conflicting streams of loyalty, tradition, and extremism with great compassion and gentle humor. Readers will cheer for characters who are almost more real than the actual people around them’ Fiction Writers Review

'Among the strengths of her writing are the naturalistic flow of her dialogue and her ear for the Yorkshire lilt. Her screenwriting flair also shines through' Times Literary Supplement

'This charming debut offers rich insights into the complexities of immigrant life in England' Library Journal

Fiction

Publication DetailsNotes
2012

Quercus

Harris Anwar is a British Pakistani proud of his Eastern heritage. In fact, it's fair to say he's proud, full stop: proud he installed his own central heating; proud of his swanky blue Citroën; even proud he's owned the same Hoover for over twenty years.
The only thing rivaling his pride is his Muslim sense of responsibility and obligation. He longs to do well by those dearest to him. Whether it's his nineteen-year-old daughter, Alia, in London, his cousin Nawaz and his family, living on top of their burgeoning takeaway in Yorkshire, or his friends and family back in Pakistan, Harris feels compelled to put himself second in order to help.

But there's a problem: Harris' best intentions always seem to breed the worst results. And so it's no surprise that, when he decides to use his divorce settlement for selfless means, this small fortune brings a huge cost of its own.
A Small Fortune is the story of a modern British man and his family, caught between the traditions and faith of their Eastern roots and the reality of Western life.