Ayad Akhtar’s parents met in Pakistan in the early ’60s, when they were both medical students and “ridiculously attractive” — or so their friends say. Despite having a love marriage (against the wishes of their parents), theirs was rocky from the start.
“By the time I was 4, I already knew my father had ‘other women,’ as my mother used to call them,” Ayad wrote in his Modern Love essay.
But it wasn’t until years later, when Ayad was an adult, that his mother shared her own confession with him. Today, Ayad tells his story about seeing his mother in a new light. Then, we listen to a Tiny Love Story about a child who recognizes their parent for the very first time.
Ayad Akhtar, who received the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is the author of the novel “Homeland Elegies” and the president of PEN America.
Hosted by: Anna Martin
Produced by: Hans Buetow, Julia Botero, Elyssa Dudley and Vishakha Darbha
Edited by: Sara Sarasohn
Executive Producer: Wendy Dorr
Engineered by: Dan Powell
Theme Music: Dan Powell
Original Music: Marion Lozano
Essay written and read by: Ayad Akhtar
Tiny Love Story by: Peyton Roberts
Founder, Modern Love: Daniel Jones
Editor, Modern Love Projects: Miya Lee
Special thanks: Mahima Chablani, Renan Borelli, Jeffrey Miranda, Julia Simon, Lisa Tobin, Sam Dolnick, Ryan Wegner and Anna Diamond at Audm.
Thoughts? Email us at modernlovepodcast@nytimes.com.
