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Behind the Beautiful Forevers
A stage adaptation of Katherine Boo’s National Book Award–winning study of life in a Mumbai slum
India is surging with global ambition. But beyond the luxury hotels surrounding Mumbai airport lies a makeshift slum, Annawadi, full of people with plans of their own.
Zehrunisa and her son Abdul aim to recycle enough rubbish to fund a proper house. Sunil, twelve and stunted, wants to eat until he’s as tall as Kalu the thief. Asha seeks to steal government antipoverty funds to turn herself into a "first-class person," while her daughter Manju intends to become the slum’s first female graduate.
But their schemes are fragile; global recession threatens the garbage trade, and another slum dweller is about to make an accusation that will destroy herself and shatter the neighborhood.
For Behind the Beatiful Forevers, journalist Katherine Boo spent three years in Annawadi recording the lives of its residents. From her uncompromising book, David Hare has fashioned a tumultuous play on an epic scale.
India is surging with global ambition. But beyond the luxury hotels surrounding Mumbai airport lies a makeshift slum, Annawadi, full of people with plans of their own.
Zehrunisa and her son Abdul aim to recycle enough rubbish to fund a proper house. Sunil, twelve and stunted, wants to eat until he’s as tall as Kalu the thief. Asha seeks to steal government antipoverty funds to turn herself into a "first-class person," while her daughter Manju intends to become the slum’s first female graduate.
But their schemes are fragile; global recession threatens the garbage trade, and another slum dweller is about to make an accusation that will destroy herself and shatter the neighborhood.
For Behind the Beatiful Forevers, journalist Katherine Boo spent three years in Annawadi recording the lives of its residents. From her uncompromising book, David Hare has fashioned a tumultuous play on an epic scale.
144 pages, Paperback
First published November 18, 2014
8 people are currently reading
390 people want to read
About the author
David Hare
116 books85 followersSir David Hare (born 5 June 1947) is an English playwright, screenwriter and theatre and film director. Most notable for his stage work, Hare has also enjoyed great success with films, receiving two Academy Award nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay for writing The Hours in 2002, based on the novel written by Michael Cunningham, and The Reader in 2008, based on the novel of the same name written by Bernhard Schlink.
On West End, he had his greatest success with the plays Plenty, which he adapted into a film starring Meryl Streep in 1985, Racing Demon (1990), Skylight (1997), and Amy's View (1998). The four plays ran on Broadway in 1982–83, 1996, 1998 and 1999 respectively, earning Hare three Tony Award nominations for Best Play for the first three and two Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play. Other notable projects on stage include A Map of the World, Pravda, Murmuring Judges, The Absence of War and The Vertical Hour. He wrote screenplays for the film Wetherby and the BBC drama Page Eight (2011).
As of 2013, Hare has received two Academy Award nominations, three Golden Globe Award nominations, three Tony Award nominations and has won a BAFTA Award, a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and two Laurence Olivier Awards. He has also been awarded several critics' awards such as the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and received the Golden Bear in 1985. He was knighted in 1998.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ha...
On West End, he had his greatest success with the plays Plenty, which he adapted into a film starring Meryl Streep in 1985, Racing Demon (1990), Skylight (1997), and Amy's View (1998). The four plays ran on Broadway in 1982–83, 1996, 1998 and 1999 respectively, earning Hare three Tony Award nominations for Best Play for the first three and two Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play. Other notable projects on stage include A Map of the World, Pravda, Murmuring Judges, The Absence of War and The Vertical Hour. He wrote screenplays for the film Wetherby and the BBC drama Page Eight (2011).
As of 2013, Hare has received two Academy Award nominations, three Golden Globe Award nominations, three Tony Award nominations and has won a BAFTA Award, a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and two Laurence Olivier Awards. He has also been awarded several critics' awards such as the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and received the Golden Bear in 1985. He was knighted in 1998.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ha...
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 29, 2021
excellent dramatic adaptation by david hare of the non-fiction book about life in the annawadi slum near the mumbai airport. following a large number of characters, david hare’s epic play recreates a world at the periphery of civilization and the impressive production of the national theatre vividly brings it to life. as it is currently shown online on national theatre at home, there is a chance to see it - theatre at its best.
May 14, 2019
It's been YEARS since I read a David Hare play, but even with that distance I know this is an uncharacteristically brutal play by his standards, exploring one of his favourite themes - the effects of late capitalism on human relationships - at its most desperate, in the slums of Annawado. It examines the layers of corruption that have to be navigated in order to survive, and how thriving in that sort of world will only ever be temporary.
July 16, 2024
A fine adaptation. Hare on capitalism and corruption.
September 16, 2019
2.5
I have beef w David Hare's writing in general (characters aren't very multifaceted, he is very "ideas" and not very "substance", he can't write women, and is not an Indian or Muslim person yet is writing about Indian and Muslim struggles, and it's based off a book by a white woman, and you also have to consider that tix to The National are super expensibe so I can't shrug off the fact that it's feeling exploitative), but this wasn't as fucking awful as Peter Gynt so.
I have beef w David Hare's writing in general (characters aren't very multifaceted, he is very "ideas" and not very "substance", he can't write women, and is not an Indian or Muslim person yet is writing about Indian and Muslim struggles, and it's based off a book by a white woman, and you also have to consider that tix to The National are super expensibe so I can't shrug off the fact that it's feeling exploitative), but this wasn't as fucking awful as Peter Gynt so.
May 15, 2017
Tragic story but very interesting and I feel well written.
July 22, 2017
Well Written, emotional, eye opening and a great piece of theatre with such a diverse cast too!
October 3, 2017
Enlightening but utterly depressing book.
July 5, 2018
Interesting story. Difficult to get in to the Indian psyche.
February 1, 2020
Beautifully written and very touching stories, but sad. Regarding the subtitle of "Live, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity" I did not feel much hope.
May 6, 2020
Life in a Mumbai slum. Non fiction which read as fiction.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2022
Book Club Pick
February 24, 2015
I hated this book. I spent money and time on it only so I could contribute to the conversation about it in book club. I wish I could forget the smell of trash and sewage, the images of death and intractability of the problems exposed in this story.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers is the story of Abdul (and about a hundred other residents -- try keeping all of them straight) and his life in Annawadi, an illegal settlement of trash, sewage and corruption outside the Mumbai airport. Author Katherine Boo, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, writes poetically and politically about the horrors of poverty in India; she thoroughly covers "life" and "death" but I found zero "hope" in the narrative.
It's a true story, I found out at the end in reading the author's note. I wish it would have been placed at the beginning of the book. Though thoroughly documented (she goes to great pains to point out), I found Boo's pitying, judging perspective to be overwhelming.
This is one of those books that gets good reviews because the author suffered so much in getting the story (oh, and she's from New York, at least part of the time; everything that comes out of New York is wonderful). It uses a lot of big words—wow, I'm so impressed with your command of the English language (thank goodness I read it on Kindle with it's click-to-define dictionary). This work is not for anyone who prizes a logical plot and compelling distraction.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers is daring, I'll give it that, and dark. Proceed at your own risk.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers is the story of Abdul (and about a hundred other residents -- try keeping all of them straight) and his life in Annawadi, an illegal settlement of trash, sewage and corruption outside the Mumbai airport. Author Katherine Boo, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, writes poetically and politically about the horrors of poverty in India; she thoroughly covers "life" and "death" but I found zero "hope" in the narrative.
It's a true story, I found out at the end in reading the author's note. I wish it would have been placed at the beginning of the book. Though thoroughly documented (she goes to great pains to point out), I found Boo's pitying, judging perspective to be overwhelming.
This is one of those books that gets good reviews because the author suffered so much in getting the story (oh, and she's from New York, at least part of the time; everything that comes out of New York is wonderful). It uses a lot of big words—wow, I'm so impressed with your command of the English language (thank goodness I read it on Kindle with it's click-to-define dictionary). This work is not for anyone who prizes a logical plot and compelling distraction.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers is daring, I'll give it that, and dark. Proceed at your own risk.
October 23, 2015
BSOLUTELY AMAZING. As I read it, I just assumed it was fiction and was very surprised to discover the author had actually lived there for 3 years while writing the book and that the characters were based on actual people.
I am suspicious about what it means to "live there." Was he in one of the shacks or was he in another neighborhood and commuting to Annawadi during the day when he was doing his research?
Regardless, I found the writing clear (except maybe there were too many characters) and I think it is an important book
I am suspicious about what it means to "live there." Was he in one of the shacks or was he in another neighborhood and commuting to Annawadi during the day when he was doing his research?
Regardless, I found the writing clear (except maybe there were too many characters) and I think it is an important book
December 19, 2016
Whilst I was reading the play I couldn't stop thinking how this was written by an old white man who is as far removed from the slumdweller's troubles and struggles as he can be. I couldn't stop wondering why he didn't even bother to change their names and how, if this was written about anyone rich enough to attend a staging at the National Theatre, they would sue him for exploiting there lives and not making them unrecognisable to the rest of the world.
I read the play alongside the documentary and would really like to know how Katherine Boo feels about this adaptation of her work.
I read the play alongside the documentary and would really like to know how Katherine Boo feels about this adaptation of her work.
November 3, 2016
An epic of a play, gorgeous stage adaptation of the book. Wish I could have seen the original production. If you want to learn about real poverty and political corruption, read up on India. As an American having read the book and now the play during an election cycle, I must say this really puts things in perspective for me. We don't have a clue how good we got it. Here is the trailer from the original production: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8aAO...
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January 28, 2015Started this book, I liked it. About an hour of reading, I have decided not to continue reading it. Its description of some of the horrors that these people live with have haunted my thoughts at night. I don't want to risk more hauntings of horrible images. Perhaps I am weak in this way, but I have decided not to finish the book.
January 9, 2015
I saw this play at the National Theatre in London, and I am reading the book now. The staging of the play was very interesting, and I thought the script got the story across quite well in the limited time frame required in a play or movie. I recommend it.
February 19, 2015
I read more than half of this book before I decided to stop reading it. This is a tale of a horrific way of life. I might choose to work towards alleviating such evil if there is something I can do. But I could not make myself continue to read about the terrible lives these people face everyday.
November 17, 2015
[[reread in April]]
February 26, 2015
I read this for book club. There's really no story other than explaining how awful it is to live in the Mumbai slums.
August 2, 2015
This was an interesting book. I found it to be a slow read but it certainly educated me about the darker side of India.
February 23, 2015
Heartbreaking and beautifully written.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews