A A Dhand Explained

A A Dhand
Nationality:British
Occupation:Author
Genre:Crime fiction
Notableworks:Harry Virdee series

A A Dhand (Amit Dhand) is a British-Asian crime-writer. His recent books are set in the West Yorkshire city of Bradford,[1] a former industrial city very much a shadow of its former self and rife with social deprivation, crime and complex inter-communal challenges.[2] [3]

Background

Raised in Bradford and the son of an immigrant corner shop owner.[4] He attended the prestigious Fulneck Boarding School in Leeds (of which features in his novels). He originally trained as a pharmacist and worked in London, but returned to his home town to start a pharmacy business and write books.[5]

He is now a regular contributor to a number of British Asian and crime writers' fora.[6]

Writing

Dhand's first novel featured a character Ranjit Singh and is set against the Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947; but it has been his more recent novels that have won him critical acclaim. These have featured the Bradford-based police detective Harry Virdee, a progressive British Sikh who struggles with his cultural identity and family loyalties. Race, violence and exploitation are on the agenda in the Virdee novels, and Dhand has not shied away from controversial issues of tension between British Asian communities and the controversy over such issues as the 'grooming' of vulnerable females by organised gangs of men. Dhand is fairly unique as he sets his protagonists (who are shaped by Asian culture) in a British setting.[7]

His novel Streets of Darkness is being developed as a TV drama.[8] In August 2023, the BBC announced that the Harry Virdee books would be adapted into a six episode series entitled Virdee, with Sacha Dhawan starring in the title role.[9]

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Abir Mukherjee and AA Dhand at the 2017 Bradford Literary Festival, Open Book - BBC Radio 4. BBC. 28 August 2017.
  2. Web site: A. A. Dhand – The Asian Writer. theasianwriter.co.uk. 28 August 2017.
  3. Web site: Bradford author A A Dhand talks Streets of Darkness. www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk. 28 August 2017. en.
  4. Web site: Hughes. Sarah. Northern noir finds a new detective hero in the dark heart of Yorkshire. The Guardian. 28 August 2017. 29 May 2016.
  5. Web site: AA Dhand: Streets of Darkness - New Writing North. New Writing North. 28 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170828191358/http://newwritingnorth.com/projects/read-regional/aa-dhand-streets-of-darkness/. 28 August 2017. dead.
  6. Web site: Secrets of Crime Writing - Bradford Literature Festival. Bradford Literature Festival. 28 August 2017.
  7. Web site: An interview with Bradford crime writer A.A Dhand - The Bradford Review. www.thebradfordreview.co.uk. 28 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170828184029/http://www.thebradfordreview.co.uk/an-interview-with-a-a-dhand/. 28 August 2017. dead.
  8. Web site: FilmWave snaps up rights to Bradford thriller The Bookseller. www.thebookseller.com. 28 August 2017. en.
  9. Web site: ‘Happy Valley’ Creator Sally Wainwright, Jenna Coleman, Nicôle Lecky, Sacha Dhawan Series Set at BBC. variety.com. 3 September 2023. en.
  10. Web site: A. A. Dhand books and biography Waterstones. www.waterstones.com. 28 August 2017. en.
  11. Web site: Crime author AA Dhand: Life and death on Bradford's 'forgotten' streets BBC News. 14 March 2019. en.
  12. Web site: The Blood Divide penguin.co.uk . 2 September 2023. en.

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