Uzma Jalaluddin is a mother, teacher, writer, and author of Aysha at last. A book that has recently been optioned for film by a major production house. Today, we talk to her about all she does!
EW: Get an exclusive first look at the buzzy romance Ayesha At Last
At last, American readers can get their first glimpse of Ayesha At Last, Uzma Jalaluddin’s highly anticipated romance coming to shelves next summer.
The novel is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in a Muslim community in Toronto. Ayesha is the Lizzie Bennet of the story — a young poet who bristles against her family’s expectations of a young marriage, particularly in light of her flighty cousin Hafsa’s routine rejection of marriage proposals. Ayesha’s world is turned further upside down when she meets Khalid (the Darcy-esque figure of this tale), a smart, handsome man who is exceedingly conservative and judgmental. Khalid’s surprise engagement to Hafsa pushes Ayesha to question everything she believes as she struggles to decide what it is she truly wants out of life and love.
CBC LISTEN: Uzma Jalaluddin on Ayesha At Last
The Next Chapter with Shelagh Rogers: Uzma Jalaluddin on her debut novel Ayesha At Last
DEADLINE: Pascal Pictures Acquires Uzma Jalaluddin Novel ‘Ayesha At Last’
Amy Pascal’s Pascal Pictures has acquired Ayesha at Last, a Muslim romantic dramedy novel by Uzma Jalaluddin. Eric Fineman and Isabel Siskin will be the execs shepherding it. The novel, which was published in Canada and will debut in the U.S. next year, is a present day retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in a Muslim community in Toronto.
The novel was shopped as interest swelled in Crazy Rich Asians, and it was helped by an appetite to tell a fun story focused on historically underrepresented characters.
SHE DOES THE CITY: An Interview With Uzma Jalaluddin, Author Of Ayesha At Last, This Summer’s Must-read Book
Uzma Jalaluddin is Canadian writer who’s going places. The high school teacher/Toronto Star parenting columnist recently took on another job title: author. Her first novel, Ayesha At Last, has become the must-read book of the summer. The delightful story is a modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, but instead of being about white British people from the 19th century, it’s centred around a community of South Asian-Canadians living in Scarborough today.
Ayesha At Last is both hilarious and relatable. Her protagonist, twenty-seven-year-old Ayesha, is a modern-day Elizabeth Bennet trying to manage her career as a teacher with her aspirations of becoming a poet. She’s far too busy to fall in love, but when she meets Khalid, her handsome new neighbour, sparks fly. The only problem is that she and Khalid don’t always see eye-to-eye. Can these contemporary Canadian incarnations of the iconic Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet resolve their differences in time for a happy ending? Well, pick up a copy at your local bookstore or library and find out! We wouldn’t want to spoil the ending of the summer’s most delicious new read!
We sat down Jalaluddin to talk about Ayesha At Last, the importance of diversity in popular culture, and her advice for fledgling authors.