Mueenudin pens love story

Pakistani-American writer Daniyal Mueenudin whose debut book has been shortlisted for numerous awards including the Pulitzer is now penning an urban love story again in the backdrop of Pakistan where he has set up base.

Set in the 1970s, the story is next on the list of the author who has given readers across the world a glimpse of life into rural Pakistan in his first book, In Other rooms, Other Wonders, a collection of short stories.

"I am now working on a love triangle based in the 70s in Pakistan," Mueenudin, who was in the capital recently for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize told PTI.

Having won the Asian round of the event, he however lost out in the finals to Australian Glenda Guest's Siddon Rock in the Best First Book prize category.


Full report here PTI

‘I have worked very hard’: Daniyal Mueenuddin

Daniyal Mueenuddin was born to a Pakistani father and an American mother in 1963. His debut collection of short stories set in contemporary Pakistan, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, was released in 2009 to near universal acclaim for bringing alive the world of rural Pakistan to English-language readers worldwide. The book won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for 2010 in the best first book category for South Asia and Europe. Mueenuddin was in town for the announcement and the award ceremony for the worldwide winners. The prize for best first book went to Siddon Rock by Glenda Guest. A cheerful Mueenuddin met Lounge for an interview earlier this week. Edited excerpts:

Do you see yourself as an American or a Pakistani?
That is not a meaningful distinction for me. I am both and neither. I don’t fit in perfectly in the US or in Pakistan. But I inhabit both the worlds pretty completely. Till I was 13, I was in Lahore, and then I went to boarding school and college in the US. When I was 24, I came back to manage the farm, which was falling apart. My father was elderly and unwell and never went there himself. The munshis (managers) there went crazy; they became tremendously rich. The man who was formerly the head manager of the farm has more money than us now and is a member of the provincial assembly. It took me years to fire these guys; they had become so powerful. I had to inflict the death of a thousand cuts. By 1993, I got rid of everyone. I finally had my own team and then I went to law school at Yale.

Full interview here Mint

‘Why should a writer not be happy?'

He's an award-wininng writer and a farmer in Pakistan. During a visit to Delhi, author Daniyal Mueenuddin talks about how he balances farmwork with writing and being a writer in Pakistan.

Pardon my ignorance, but I have not come across a more eloquent farmer; or a man who grows mangoes and wheat but has better skills with the pen; somebody who speaks Urdu with a Punjabi accent one moment and switches to impeccable English the next. A writer in the morning, a farmer by day, a reader by evening; welcome to the world of Daniyal Mueenuddin, the Los Angeles-born, Ivy League-educated man who divides his time between Pakistan, the U.S. and the U.K. Feted the world over — he was recently among the finalists for the Commonwealth Writer's Prize for the Best Book, where he lost to Rana Dasgupta — Daniyal is an outsider everywhere: in the U.S. where he can never be a typical American; in Pakistan, despite his impeccable Urdu and colourful Punjabi, he is never “one of us”.

Outsider everywhere
“Yes, that is true. I am half-American so it is more complicated for me. I feel like an outsider everywhere. But I regard Pakistan to be my country. I belong to it. For a certain period I can stay in the U.S. but after a while I hunger for the vibrancy of colours of Lahore,” he says.

Daniyal, with none of the airs of a seasoned writer, is a cheerful man and generates an energetic air. Happy to pose for the camera, he even shares a few candid moments. “You cannot talk with aap-janab on the farm. I learnt it the hard way,” he says, breaking into an expletive to show how to get the work done in the fields.

Full report here Hindu

True to lives

Daniyal Mueenuddin’s collection of short stories, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, may not have fetched him the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for best first book, but he’s not particularly peeved — he just found out that he was nominated for the Pulitzer. He tells me right away about the three books he’s working on: a novel set in Pakistan and short stories set in New York and Wisconsin.

It’s difficult not to draw parallels between the stories in In Other Rooms and Mueenuddin’s own life. They deal with the land, in Pakistan, and the people whose lives revolve around it. The stories are not autobiographical, he says, but rather about the world he knows. As a writer, he values “empathy”, the “truly humble” ability to escape the “bubble of our own perspective” and inhabit the world of a character unlike oneself. Still, the obvious absence of the middle class in his book must be due to the “limitations” in his own perspective — because, snobbish as it sounds, Mueenuddin doesn’t really know the middle class. It’s not a world he’s moved in. He admits to being privileged and comfortable, albeit by dint of his own hard work.

Power relations lie at the heart of the stories, I venture. That is because, Mueenuddin explains, Pakistan is a harsh place, a “very poor country” where tremendous inequalities exist. In a “dysfunctional society” people are desperate, and power or its absence makes all the difference. Yet there is a growing middle class. He tells me that Bhola, the richest man in the town near his farm, started out as a vegetable seller, then moved into the wholesale business. Bhola and others like that could buy and sell me with their pocket change, he laughs! For Mueenuddin, this is the rising middle class, a “wonderful thing”.

Full report here Business Standard

Commonwealth Writers Prize: Commerce or art?

It usually takes the promise of top-shelf whiskey to prompt Delhi-ites to grab their Vuittons, hop into their 7-Series and head towards a cultural event, be it books, or music, or art. But with the regional winners of the Commonwealth Writers Prize 2010 in town, it's too good an opportunity for culture spectators to pass up -- even if there wasn't any Black Label on offer.

From the winners in the prize's four geo- graphical regions, one will be selected for the Best Book and Best New Book, today, Monday 12th April.

In South Asia, Rana Dasgupta (originally from the UK) is up for Best Book for Solo, while Pakistan's Daniyal Mueenuddin's In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, will compete for Best New Book.

Click here for a full list of nominees. In the lead-up to the big night, there's been a jam-packed schedule of talks, readings and panel discussions featuring nominees from as far afield as Samoa and Nigeria.

Full report here CNNGo

Fierce competition for Commonwealth Prize

Competition is fierce among a widely diverse set of literary works for this year's Commonwealth Writers' Prize, but the capital hosting the award ceremony is abuzz with positive literary energy.

As the countdown begins for the annnouncement of the winner, the authors assembled here are gratified by the fact that they are winners from their respective regions, even as the jury goes through a grilling experience of choosing from the world's best literary work.

The eight regional winners of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the panel of judges are in the capital for the final round of the Award to be announced on Monday, and some feel its like a choice between oranges and apples. "To me it is one of the most unusual prizes, because each of the eight authors coming from each of the four regions have already won the prizes in their own regions," says Michael Crummey, the Canadian author whose 'Galore' has been adjudged the best book in the Caribbean and Canada region.

"Amidst this diverse set of books, picking one is like choosing between apples and oranges. For me winning will be an icing on the cake, being here is in itself an achievement," he told PTI.

Agrees Rana Dasgupta, the Delhi-based British Indian novelist, whose second literary work 'Solo', a story that encompasses a century of communist and post-communist regimes in Bulgaria, has won the best book for the South Asia and Europe region.

Dasgupta says the fact that the contending literary works are drawn from such a large part of the world and are so varied makes the prize an important one, but the choice from here is always subjective.

"I have not yet got the time to read the other books that are competing, just read Daniyal's (Mueenuddin) book. But the writers, all of whom are winners in their own right, have gathered here are a fantastic group of people.

"When you have already got to this stage, the choice from here is largely arbitrary, it will depend much on personal tastes," he said.

The Commonwealth is a group of 54 countries, and the finalists for the award are the authors that have been adjudged the best in the four regions comprising it. For the first time in the history of this award, a writer from Samoa is among the finalists, and Mark Collins, the Chairman of the Commonwealth Foundation, says the foundation is working to promote and encourage authors from places that are hitherto lesser-known on the literary scene.

"This prize has gone to lesser-known areas, like Samao, this time. We are also encouraging smaller and lesser
known publishing houses from places that are not yet well known on the literary scene but definitely have a lot of talent," he told PTI.

Full report here PTI

Get a taste of Commonwealth literature

A series of discussions, workshops, symposia and interactions between schoolchildren and award-winning writers will be held in the capital from Wednesday, April 7 ahead of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize ceremony on April 12.

A five-day run-up to the event will see the regional winners of the awards and judges promote quality literature through a series of discussions and events among the GenNext and students in the capital. The winners of the best book and the first book from seven countries across four Commonwealth regions were announced in March.

While Daniyal Mueenuddin from Pakistan won the best first book for In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, Rana Dasgupta from Britain won the best book award for Solo in the Europe and South Asian region. They will compete for the final crown with 12 regional winners.

Full report here Hindustan Times

Solo and striking

A conversation with Rana Dasgupta, whose Solo has been shortlisted for this year's Commonwealth Writers' Prize

The clink and tinkle of his piano keys steers my footsteps to the door, past a winding flight of narrow stairs. Author Rana Dasgupta, I have just learnt, is also a pianist. He later says he took lessons on the instrument from the age of seven.

Leaving Bach's “English Suites” half done, Rana promptly sits down to converse on “Solo”, his novel, which has just won the European and South Asian round for the Best Book for this year's Commonwealth Writers' Prize. In fact, we don't talk about the Prize at all, simply because he feels, “There is nothing to talk about it yet.” Rana has won one of the regional rounds of the Prize with Pakistani author Daniyal Mueenuddin. Out of the regional winners picked from different Commonwealth countries, the Prize would go to one lucky author on April 12.

Soft and measured
With the big day a good few weeks away, we steer clear of questions like ‘So how does it feel?' The conversation easily flows towards writing “Solo”, a Harper Collins publication — Rana's first novel and second book. The young author says, “I was glad when I finished writing it. I wanted it to get over.” Well, how do we take that! He explains, a soft, measured smile spreading on his face, “I feel stupid saying this but while writing a book, you have a very reclusive existence. You don't know what to tell people about what you are doing and yet you are living your days in a world made up of your characters. They are real for you.”

Full report here Hindu

Rana, Daniyal win regional Commonwealth Writer's

Indian novelist Rana Dasgupta's Solo and Pakistan-based author Daniyal Mueenuddin's In Other Rooms, Other Wonders were Thursday declared regional winners of the Commonwealth Writer's Prize for 2010 in the European and South Asian categories.

While Solo  was declared the best book, In Other Rooms, ... was selected as the best first book by an author.

Presented by the Commonwealth Foundation with support from the Macquarie Group Foundation, the global winners of the award will be announced in the Capital on April 12.

A five-day literary event in the run-up to the awards ceremony April 12 will begin April 7 with a series of interactive literary sessions. This is the first time that the event is being held in the Indian capital, which will also host the Commonwealth Games in October.

Full report here IBNLive

Related news

PIO writer bags Commonwealth prize Times of India 

Pakistani writer qualifies for final stage of C'wealth Writers' Prize Daily Times 

Commonwealth writers' prize 2010 The News International 

Samoan poet sweeps away Australians Sydney Morning Herald

Between the lines

A chat with Chandrahas Choudhury, whose Arzee the Dwarf has been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book

A literary award, to use a cliché, is a boon and a bane. It draws reader's attention to a talent that would otherwise have gone unnoticed or under-appreciated in a literary minefield where sometimes what's between the cover might remain just there, no matter how brilliant. It might, on the other hand, exert pressure on a writer's future literary endeavours. As Chandrahas Choudhury, author of Arzee the Dwarf, says, “As far as the relationship between a writer and an award is concerned, it is important to stop thinking about it.

“All the happiness I had to get from the book I got from writing it,” he says. Arzee the Dwarf, published by HarperCollins, has been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize in the Best First Book category, along with The Hungry Ghosts by Anne Berry (Britain), Tail of the Blue Bird by Nii Parkes (Britain), An Equal Stillness by Fransesca Kay (Britain), and In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Meeuneddin (Pakistan) and Among Thieves by Mez Packer (Britain).

Past awardees include Vikram Chandra for Red Earth Pouring Rain (1996), Zadie Smith for White Teeth (2001), and Mark Haddon for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (2004), to name a few.

Full report here Hindu