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'In Melbourne a one-time research student with interests in philosophy and psychology is diagnosed with her third episode of psychosis. As she is moved from her family home to a community house and then to hospital, she questions the diagnosis of her sanity or insanity, as determined and defined by a medical model which seems less than convincing to her. Indeed questioning seems to be at the heart of her psychosis, in her over-active interpretations of signs and gestures, thoughts and emotions – and one understands these to be an expression of her intelligence, even if they seem illusory. She tells her story in a calm, rational voice, with an acute sense of detail and an objective air, as she wonders when the next psychotic episode will materialise, or if it hasn’t arrived already.
'Based on real-life events, translated from Bengali by the award-winning Indian translator Arunava Sinha, Hospital is an extraordinary novel that portrays the experience of psychosis and its treatments in an unflinching and understated way, while struggling more broadly with the definition of sanity in our society.' (Publication summary)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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A Common Language
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: Meanjin Online 2023;
— Review of Hospital Arunava Sinha (translator), 2023 single work novel'In 2009, 2010 and 2015, Bangladeshi-Australian writer Sanya Rushdi experienced three episodes of psychosis and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Years later, a narrator who shares her first name, background and medical history attempts to disentangle the model of medical care she’s subjected to and the social system that deems her a threat.' (Introduction)
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The Best New Books Released in June, as Selected by Avid Readers and Critics
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , July 2023;
— Review of Why We Are Here 2023 single work novel ; Hospital Arunava Sinha (translator), 2023 single work novel
-
The Best New Books Released in June, as Selected by Avid Readers and Critics
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , July 2023;
— Review of Why We Are Here 2023 single work novel ; Hospital Arunava Sinha (translator), 2023 single work novel -
A Common Language
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: Meanjin Online 2023;
— Review of Hospital Arunava Sinha (translator), 2023 single work novel'In 2009, 2010 and 2015, Bangladeshi-Australian writer Sanya Rushdi experienced three episodes of psychosis and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Years later, a narrator who shares her first name, background and medical history attempts to disentangle the model of medical care she’s subjected to and the social system that deems her a threat.' (Introduction)
Awards
- 2024 shortlisted The Stella Prize