A HUDDERSFIELD man has published his second book - after spending 11 years writing it.
Nadeem Aslam, 36, lives in London, but spent much of his life in Lockwood after moving there from Pakistan in 1982.
Nadeem, the son of a poet and a film producer, will see his new book, Maps for Lost Lovers, go on sale on June 1.
The book, a tragic tale of pain and love, is being published in the UK by Faber and Faber.
It will also be sold in the USA, Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Holland and Sweden.
When he started the book in 1993, Nadeem had just published his first book, Season of the Rainbirds.
That book took three years to write and won the Betty Trask Award and the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award.
Maps for Lost Lovers continues the themes first raised in Season of the Rainbirds - the struggle between Islam and modern life and the place of women in Islamic society.
Nadeem has drawn on his experiences of living in Asian areas in a number of different cities and towns.
The book has a large Muslim component, but Nadeem says there is no political or religious message in his book.
He added: "Although I am not a believer I am culturally a Muslim. I grew up looking at Persian paintings and listening to stories about Mohammed.
"The book is about the classic theme of Islamic literature, the quest for the beloved. The book wouldn't be what it is without 1001 Nights and the Koran."
Nadeem said: "There is no message for others. Writing is my way of understanding my life. If my writing is of any value to anyone else, it's simply because I am an ordinary man.
"If something is true of me, there is a good chance it is true of others."
One of the main settings in the book is Huddersfield, although the town is in disguise.
Nadeem is now working on a third novel, The Wasted Vigil.
The book will tell the story of a man who has spent 20 years trying to piece together what happened to his missing girlfriend and son.
