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
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