From History to Story: Young Writers’ Workshop with Shrabani Basu

Tongues on Fire – UK Asian Film Festival presents a workshop with celebrated author Shrabani Basu. We invite young aspiring writers in the age group 8 – 14 to partake in this 2-hour workshop where Basu will speak at length about her best-selling book Victoria and Abdul. Participants will then learn break into groups and practise their skills in creative writing through collaborative exercises.

AUTHOR BIO: Shrabani Basu is a journalist and Sunday Times best-selling author. Her books include the critically acclaimed The Mystery of the Parsee Lawyer: Arthur Conan Doyle, George Edalji and the Case of the Foreigner in the English Village, For King and Another Country: Indian Soldiers on the Western Front 1914-18, Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant (now a major Oscar-nominated motion picture starring Dame Judi Dench and Ali Fazal) Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan, and Curry: The Story of the Nation’s Favourite Dish.

She is the founder and chair of the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust which campaigned for a memorial for the World War II heroine in London. It was unveiled by Princess Anne in 2012.

In 2024, she was honoured with an honorary Doctorate for services to Literature (DLitt) by the University of London. The Chancellor of the University, Princess Anne, bestowed her with the honour. She was described in the citation as a “thought leader on India and Empire.”