Trying to Grow
Encyclopedia
Trying to Grow is a 1991 novel published by Bloomsbury. The novel is semi-autobiographical and set in urban India
, about a young boy growing up with brittle bones. The protagonist, who would never grow taller than four feet, finds his way into the world of sexuality and adulthood. It is set in - and humorously describes the Parsi or Parsee community - descendants of the Persian empire who were driven out of Persia by an Islamic invasion more than a thousand years ago and settled in western India
. The novel is set in Bombay and is written by Firdaus Kanga
. It depicts a defiant non-stereotypical Anglophile Indian family with fond memories of the Raj and everything English
. Trying to Grow is told through the eyes of the young boy – called Brit because of his brittle bones and also because it reminds his mother of Britain
. Brit grows up to prefer the Kama Sutra
to Shakespeare. The novel does not allow gender or disability to come in the way a growing boy’s desire for sex and love.
with author Firdaus Kanga
starring in the main lead.
The novel was selected to be part of The Vintage Book of Indian Writing: 1947-97 - a major anthology of the work of the most important and influential Indian writers of the last 50 years. This volume was published by Salman Rushdie and Elizabeth West to coincide with the anniversary of India's independence.
The novel has just been re-published in India by Penguin
Brit turns out to be a spiky, opinionated and naughty - he knows his small size allows people to assume his is a safe and innocent haven for their secrets. He prefers sex to Shakespeare, although he gets to be good at both as he grows older. He's schooled at home, so he knows more about Charles I than the boys next door - until, that is, puberty arrives, with a sexy new boy next door. A relationship with a woman also follows. All through is the tenderness and heartbreak of a young man experiencing love and desire - having his heart broken and mended, which is far more intense than the pain of his broken bones.
The characters are semi-autobiographical and set in the Parsee community in India.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, about a young boy growing up with brittle bones. The protagonist, who would never grow taller than four feet, finds his way into the world of sexuality and adulthood. It is set in - and humorously describes the Parsi or Parsee community - descendants of the Persian empire who were driven out of Persia by an Islamic invasion more than a thousand years ago and settled in western India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The novel is set in Bombay and is written by Firdaus Kanga
Firdaus Kanga
Firdaus Kanga is a writer and actor who lives in London. He has written a novel, Trying to Grow a semi-autobiographical novel set in India and a travel book Heaven on Wheels about his experiences in the United Kingdom...
. It depicts a defiant non-stereotypical Anglophile Indian family with fond memories of the Raj and everything English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
. Trying to Grow is told through the eyes of the young boy – called Brit because of his brittle bones and also because it reminds his mother of Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Brit grows up to prefer the Kama Sutra
Kama Sutra
The Kama Sutra is an ancient Indian Hindu text widely considered to be the standard work on human sexual behavior in Sanskrit literature written by Vātsyāyana. A portion of the work consists of practical advice on sexual intercourse. It is largely in prose, with many inserted anustubh poetry verses...
to Shakespeare. The novel does not allow gender or disability to come in the way a growing boy’s desire for sex and love.
Film adaptations and references
Trying to Grow was made into a EMMA award winning BBC-BFI film Sixth HappinessSixth Happiness
Sixth Happiness is a 1997 film directed by Indian director Waris Hussein. It is based on the autobiography of Firdaus Kanga entitled Trying To Grow. Kanga played himself in this film about Britain, India, race and sex....
with author Firdaus Kanga
Firdaus Kanga
Firdaus Kanga is a writer and actor who lives in London. He has written a novel, Trying to Grow a semi-autobiographical novel set in India and a travel book Heaven on Wheels about his experiences in the United Kingdom...
starring in the main lead.
The novel was selected to be part of The Vintage Book of Indian Writing: 1947-97 - a major anthology of the work of the most important and influential Indian writers of the last 50 years. This volume was published by Salman Rushdie and Elizabeth West to coincide with the anniversary of India's independence.
The novel has just been re-published in India by Penguin
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
Plot
Trying to Grow features a young boy, born in Bombay, with brittle bones, who would never grow taller than four feet. His mother, an Anglophile enamoured with everything English (stockpiling Quality Street to Marmite), names her little boy Brit, after his brittle bones and because it was short for her favourite Britain.Brit turns out to be a spiky, opinionated and naughty - he knows his small size allows people to assume his is a safe and innocent haven for their secrets. He prefers sex to Shakespeare, although he gets to be good at both as he grows older. He's schooled at home, so he knows more about Charles I than the boys next door - until, that is, puberty arrives, with a sexy new boy next door. A relationship with a woman also follows. All through is the tenderness and heartbreak of a young man experiencing love and desire - having his heart broken and mended, which is far more intense than the pain of his broken bones.
The characters are semi-autobiographical and set in the Parsee community in India.