Writer’s Block

HM Naqvi, whose debut novel won the coveted top honour in a South Asian literary event was in Chennai recently.

The novel, a coming-of-age tale of a gang of young Americans of Asian origin, won rave reviews for Naqvi, who seemed to be in high spirits on his arrival in the city. For someone who wanted to be a writer since he was four, the road has been long and arduous.

"I feel you are born a writer. But, I really didn't feel capable of writing a piece of fiction at 20 or 21," says Naqvi. "However, a decade down the line, I did feel capable of churning out hundreds of pages into a full-fledged novel. And I happened to be in the U.S. at the time.

Had I been in Pakistan, the book might have turned out completely different," he adds.

He stresses that the work is not a memoir, and only bore a few biographical incidents. Most of the events that take place are the outcome of heavy research and sourcing. The Pakistani-born writer who has lived in America for many years, says authenticity isn't something he is worried about.

Full report here Times of India 

Two Pakistani writers miss Kerala literary fest

The third edition of the Kovalam Literary Festival that began here Saturday will be attended by only one Pakistani author - instead of three invited - because of delay in home ministry clearances and outbreak of violence in Pakistan's Punjab province.

The union home ministry had cleared the visit of writer Ali Sethi and H.M. Naqvi to Kerala Sep 29, almost a month after the organisers of the festival moved the government to clear their visit.

Pakistani citizens are usually allowed to land in three Indian cities - Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai - according to home ministry norms, organisers of the festival said.

Young Pakistan-based writer Ali Sethi, the author of 'The Wish Maker', was unable to cross the border at Wagah checkpost in Punjab Friday afternoon from where he was to arrive in New Delhi via Amritsar and fly to Thiruvananthapuram Saturday night.

Full report here Sify

Pak flavour at 3rd Kovalam Fest

Three major Pakistani writers and a Chinese author who has achieved global celebrity with her take on socialism are among the literary stars set to attend the third Kovalam Literary Festival in Thiruvananthapuram Oct 1-3.

Mohammed Hanif, whose Case of Exploding Mangoes is an international bestseller, and debut novelists Ali Sethi (The Wish Maker) and H.M. Naqvi (Home Boy) lead the Pakistan contingent, which will also include journalist Najam Sethi.

China's Lijia Zhang, who is making her first appearance in India, is the author of the best selling 'Socialism Is Great'. A regular speaker at major literary festivals, Lijia was also a participant of the writer-in-residence programme at Switzerland's Chateau Lagviny.

The festival will also feature a reading by Deborah Baker-Ghosh from her forthcoming book on Islam and Pakistan.

Baker-Ghosh, wife of writer Amitav Ghosh, will read from her The Convert: A Parable of Islam and America, which will be released next year in India by Penguin.

Full report here Sify

My name is Khan

Someone e-mailed me this joke recently: In New York's Central Park, a huge Rottweiler breaks loose from its leash and savages a small blonde child. A skinny young man rushes up and, at great risk to himself, saves the child by wrestling the dog to the ground and finally, in desperation, killing it.

When it's all over, the child's mother comes up to the little bloodied man and thanks him profusely. It turns out turns out she's a famous journalist and she tells him she's going to run a front page story about him in the New York Times headlined, “American hero saves child from vicious monster”.

“But madam, I'm not American,” the little man replies. “Oh, what are you then?” asks the journalist. “I'm a Pakistani, madam”.

So the next day's New York Times carries a screaming headline, “Terrorist strangles pet dog”.

Full review here Hindu

Karachi Literature Festival concludes

The two-day Karachi Literary Festival, organised by the British Council and the Oxford University Press (Pakistan) ended Sunday with a host of literary and cultural activities, featuring authors like Musharraf Ali Farooqi, Zulfikar Ghose, Husain Naqvi and Mohsin Hamid.

Comprising of tributes, readings, book launches and discussions, the festival was well attended by literary buffs, students, writers and the general public. One of the highlights of the day was the launch of 50 Poems: 30 Selected 20 New by the critically acclaimed author Zulfikar Ghose. A panel discussion on Sufism and Literature brought together Samina Quraeshi, Amar Jaleel and Mahmood Jamal. While Quraeshi read an excerpt from her recent book, Jamal read a poem directed at fundamentalists of all kinds while commenting that Sufism was not a deviant cult as many perceived it to be.

In the end, many in the audience were left frustrated as an interesting question by a student about the role of Shariah in the context of Sufism went unanswered and was cleverly deflected under the garb of sophisticated expression. Ameena Saiyid, Managing Director of the Oxford University Press and Journalist Asif Noorani talked about what makes a best seller in Pakistan in an interactive session titled “From Manuscript to Bestseller”.

Full report here Daily Times

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