Lo scorso 26 dicembre lo scrittore britannico di origine pachistana Hanif Kureishi, in vacanza con la moglie Isabella D'Amico (nipote della sceneggiatrice Suso Cecchi D'Amico) a Roma, era stato ricoverato d'urgenza al Policlinico Gemelli. Qualche minuto fa Kureishi, tuttora in ospedale, ha condiviso un messaggio nel suo profilo Twitter, aggiornando i lettori circa le sue condizioni di salute:
'Dear followers,
I should like you to know that on Boxing Day, in Rome, after taking a comfortable walk to the Piazza del Popolo, followed by a stroll through the Villa Borghese, and then back to the apartment, I had a fall. I had just seen Mo Salah score against Aston Villa, sipped half a beer, when I began to feel dizzy. I lent forward and put my head between my legs; I woke up a few minutes later in a pool of blood, my neck in a grotesquely twisted position, my wife on her knees beside me. I then experienced what can only be described a scooped, semi-circular object with talons attached scuttling towards me. Using what was left of my reason, I saw this was my hand, an uncanny object over which I had no agency. It occurred to me then that there was no coordination between what was left of my mind and what remained of my body. I had become divorced from myself. I believed I was dying. I believed I had three breaths left. It seemed like a miserable and ignoble way to die. Every evening before I go upstairs, put on the dishwasher, open the window and join my wife, I wonder how more opportunities there will be for these domestic felicities. From the floor my wife heard my frantic shouting. She saved my life and kept me calm. For a few days I was profoundly traumatised, altered and unrecognisable to myself. I am in the hospital. I cannot move move my arms and legs. I cannot scratch my nose, make a phone call or feed myself. As you can imagine, this is both humiliating, degrading and a burden for others. I’ve had an operation on my spine and have shown minor improvements in the last few days. I have sensation and some movement in all my limbs, and I will begin physio and rehabilitation and soon as possible. I want to thank the doctors and nurses at the Gemelli hospital, Rome, for all their extraordinary kindness, competence and care. At the moment, it is unclear whether I will ever be able to walk again, or whether I’ll ever be able to hold a pen, if there is any assistance that I would be grateful for, it would be with regard to voice assisted hardware and software, which will allow me to watch, write - and begin work again, and continue some kind of half life. If you have any ideas about how you might help, please comment below and my son will be in touch. I want to thank all my readers for their love and support over the years.
Love Hanif'.
Tutto lo staff di Cinema Hindi augura ad Hanif Kureishi un rapido, sostanziale miglioramento.
Aggiornamento del 31 gennaio 2023 - Hanif sta pubblicando numerosi messaggi dedicati al nostro Paese. Ne riporto solo alcuni:
* 8 gennaio: 'So now, in this somewhat desolate Roman hospital, in a suburb of Rome, I am writing these words to try and reach you, and I am at the same time trying to connect with Isabella, to make a new relationship out of an old one. You’d think I’d have enough on my plate'.
* 9 gennaio: 'Not understanding Italian is frustrating, but I try to ask very simple and straightforward questions like, “When did you know you wanted to be a nurse or a doctor?” or “When was the moment you realised you fell in love?”.'
* 10 gennaio: 'This morning three very beautiful Italian physiotherapists came to my room. They (...) thrust me into a wheelchair. I was turned around and for the first time I was able to see the other side of my room. I saw the Italian sky through the window, some trees and a cloud and few birds. For the first time I believed that things might begin to improve. My heart is like a singing bird. The physios left and another came in. A very gentle man, handsome, who also works for Roma Football Club. (...) He caressed my fingers and my feet, he opened my hands and pulsated them gently. I began to feel that I had a whole body and not just a patchwork of random pieces thrown together as if by Mary Shelley’s imagination. (...) I have become a big admirer of Italian men. I find them very handsome. Their skin is smooth and it glows. Their sharp dark body hair is inspiring. They are neither macho nor mummy’s boys. (...) The women too of course, with their long black hair and magnificent eyes. (...) I’ve enjoyed being in this hospital. Everyone here has treated me with respect and courtesy'.
* 11 gennaio: 'The second most important event in my early writing life was in 1982. I was working at the Arts Centre, Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. One evening the guest of honour was Italo Calvino, who was introduced by Salman Rushdie, who I met for the first time that evening'.
* 13 gennaio: 'When the male nurse got to me I was delighted to see, for the first time, an array of hot Italian pastries and cheeses and some freshly squeezed orange juice. (...) I will also be able to meet others whose bodies are busted in different ways. My Italian is not so good but I hope to be able to bring some of those accounts to you, my new audience, if the patients agree'.
* 17 gennaio: 'This is when I decide I want to become an Italian citizen. I want an Italian passport. I decide to apply for one tomorrow. How could anyone not want to live in Italy?'.
* 31 gennaio: 'Here in the hospital, I have seen a lot of Italian women - nurses, doctors, patients and visitors. Every day I see many nurses, but because they are wearing masks, I can only study their eyes, hair and eyebrows. I have to confess, I have acquired a knowledge of the Italian eyebrow which is extensive and detailed. (...) I should stress here that the Italian male also attends to his eyebrows with calculated care. This is not something I have noticed in the British male. We are more primitive, except in British soap operas, where the male eyebrow seems to be given particular attention. Italian women take good care of themselves. Everything about them is neat and planned, and the women who are not in work uniform - the visitors - dress brilliantly and vividly, both to express themselves, and to show others who they think they are. They wear a lot of clashing colours, which is very stylish, and confident'.
Aggiornamento del 19 giugno 2023 - Hanif scrive: 'I will be returning to London after six months of hospitalization in Rome at the Santa Lucia IRCCS. I have been treated with professionalism and kindness by all the personnel of the Neurorehabilitation Unit 1. I am grateful to Italy’s national healthcare system for providing free cure and rehabilitation for me and for all other patients'.
