Man on Fire

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A powerful and touching novel from the Booker-shortlisted author of Pigeon English
'A writer of considerable talent' Financial Times

LONGLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2017

I was beating the life out of Bibhuti with a baseball bat when my first monsoon broke

John Lock has come to India to meet his destiny.

He has fled the quiet desperation of his life in England to offer his help to a man who has learned to conquer pain, a world record breaker who specialises in feats of extreme endurance and ill-advised masochism. In answering Bibhutis call for assistance, John hopes to rewrite a brave end to a life poorly lived.

But as they take their leap of faith together, and John is welcomed into Bibhutis family, and into the colour and chaos of Mumbai, he learns more about life, and death, and everything in between than he could ever have bargained for.

Reviews

Man on Fire is astonishingly moving in its heartbreak and humour Man on Fire does what a novel at its best can do; underneath the humour and pathos and Bibhutis hopes and dreams, we find an account of India itself. Out of this unlikely material, Stephen Kelman has written a book of profound beauty and deep empathy * Justin Cartwright, Observer *
An original tale about faith, friendship and determination An enthralling novel by a writer of considerable talent * Financial Times *
A revelatory and very touching book * Observer, Books of the Year 2015 *
A glorious opening monologue that manages to be hilarious and sympathetic ... Bibhuti is certainly a wonderful creation who resists prat-falling into reductive buffoonery thanks to Kelmans nicely measured portrait Man on Fire is a strange, arresting novel that is borne aloft by two vivid protagonists, and threaded together by a delicate chain of imagery A salutary meditation on time: how we fill it, how we waste is and the tricky challenge of telling the difference * Independent *
Kelman gives an intoxicating picture of Mumbai in all its chaos * Sunday Times Ireland *
Man on Fire, in essence, is like a buddy movie with a spiritual bent; that this spirituality comes from the most unlikely source is its strength * Guardian *
An enthralling fictionalised part-biography of Bibhuti, is Kelmans moving tribute to the Times of India journalist Kelman no relation to James, although he shares the great Glaswegians ability to write dark, gut-wrenching books full of life and energy, and that are often very funny * Sunday Herald *
This confirms his ability to evoke deep emotion ... Those who venture will be richly rewarded * Daily Mail *
He has a fine eye for sketching delightful scenes: a shipment of snow globes saves during the monsoon; a group of monks dedicated to table tennis * Irish Mail on Sunday *

Author Bio

Stephen Kelman was born in Luton in 1976. Pigeon English, his first novel, was shortlisted for the 2011 Man Booker Prize, the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Guardian First Book Award, and he was also shortlisted for the New Writer of the Year Award at the 2011 Galaxy National Book Awards. Pigeon English is a set text on the GCSE syllabus. Stephen lives in St Albans.

@stephen_kelman