Written by the American investigative journalist , Katherine Boo,
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity is a novel published in 2012. Winner of the National Book Award, it describes life in Annawadi, a slum behind Mumbai airport. It follows the interconnected lives of the people living there, including a family trying to recycle enough rubbish in order to afford a proper house, a boy stunted from lack of food, a woman who wants to steal government anti-poverty funds to climb the social ladder, and a girl who plans to become the first slum university graduate.
These stories are based on Boo's three-year stay in Annawadi, and have now been turned into a play by David Hare.
Behind The Beautiful Forevers will be performed at the Olivier Theatre from the 10th November - 13th April with tickets between £15 - £35. There will be additional events such as a
director/actor talk on the 21st November,
documentary on the 25th November, and an
in depth discussion with David Hare on the 27th November.