The Parcel (27 page)

I grew up opposite Kamathipura. From the time I was born until I was seven years old, I lived in a compound called “The Retreat,” a stone's throw away from the red light district. Even when my family moved, the area was only ten minutes away, and the red light district continued to haunt and inspire me; it does so to this very day. Normally, when an author writes a book, there are specific people he can thank; however, in this case, I am unable to individually list the transgendered people, sex workers, and residents of Kamathipura who opened up their hearts and minds to me over the years. The one person I feel I must specifically thank for her generosity and insight is Simran Shaikh. I am truly indebted to everyone I met and salute their honesty and bravery.

I am grateful to the Canada Council for the Arts and the BC Arts Council for their support. The World Literature Program at Simon Fraser University, The Mordecai Richler Writer-in-Residence Program at McGill University, and the Writer-in-Residence Program at the University of the Fraser Valley provided
me with precious time and resources during the writing of this novel. I am especially grateful to my colleagues in the World Literature Program at Simon Fraser University for their help and support.

My deepest gratitude to Lynn Henry for her vision and guidance; to Kristin Cochrane, Brad Martin and Anne Collins for their faith in this book and for welcoming me to Knopf; and to Suzanne Brandreth and colleagues at The Cooke Agency International. I also thank Denise Bukowski for suggesting the title, and for her support over the years.

The work of many scholars, writers, and journalists has been invaluable in the writing of this book. For a complete list of acknowledgements, please visit
www.​anoshi​rani.​com
.

Anosh Irani
has previously published three critically acclaimed novels:
The Cripple and His Talismans
(2004), a national bestseller;
The Song of Kahunsha
(2006), which was an international bestseller and shortlisted for Canada Reads and the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize; and
Dahanu Road
(2010), which was nominated for the Man Asian Literary Prize. His play
Bombay Black
won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play (2006) and his anthology
The Bombay Plays: The Matka King&Bombay Black
was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award. Anosh Irani was born and grew up in Bombay, India, and lives in Vancouver, Canada.