When did you start writing poetry? I started writing poetry when I was about 18. What was the first poem that you wrote, that you thought was good? My first poem that I thought was good (and published in the Sunday Supplement of a local Bengali newspaper) was titled ‘Bhanga chair’, (broken chair), a raw …
Fatima Al Matar
When did you start writing poetry? I started writing poetry in my early teens. What was the first poem you wrote that you thought was good? I can’t really remember the first poem I wrote which I thought was good as I started writing quite young and my standards have changed dramatically since then. However …
Sweta Srivastava Vikram
When did you start writing poetry? I want to say when I was in my pre-teens. Growing up, I always liked collecting diaries and scribbling in them, but I formally started dabbling in poetry when I joined my boarding school in Mussoorie, India. Of course, over the years, my voice and style (impacted by my …
Meeting Arvind Mehrotra
Arvind Mehrotra is a name that you might not be too familiar with, but in May last year, he was the first Indian poet to be nominated for the chair of Professor of Poetry at Oxford. Mehrotra is considered to be one of the leading Indian poets writing in English and currently heads the English …
The Obscure Logic of the Heart
The Asian Writer caught up with Priya Basil to discuss her latest novel, The Obscure Logic of the Heart.
In the Hot Seat with Roopa Farooki
My favourite author is Tolkien, as Lord of the Rings is still my favourite book. My bedside read Currently a pile of parenting books (I have five month old twin girls) and my students’ MA assignments. The most inspiring person I’ve ever met My mother, who believes that everything is possible. My writing ritual Sitting in …
The Reluctant Author: Sagheer Afzal
I arrange to meet Sagheer Afzal, author of The Reluctant Mullah, after meeting him at a book signing in Leicester. He is well mannered and eager to to talk about his book which has been recently been published. Fed up with the books he was reading, the former Science teacher, Afzal took up writing as …
A Writer’s Journey
Devastated by his beloved’s betrayal, Om collapses both physically and emotionally. With that begins his ardous battle for peace, The Journey of Om. The Asian Writer caught up with Chandru Bhojwani to find out more.
Shamini Flint on Inspector Singh Investigates
For readers new to your work, what would you say defines your writing? I have to confess that I don’t think there is a single strand or theme that defines my writing. Perhaps it is a combination of factors that conspire to create a unique voice. First and foremost, place. Each Inspector Singh novel is …
Suhayl Saadi
“I think that some writers can get too comfortable and complacent in their success and it shows in their work. But you do have to have deep oceans of self-belief if you want to do serious art, because a lot of people – sometimes some of those close to you as well as those in the business and complete strangers – will try to bring you down.”
Suhayl Saadi talks about his journey as a writer and gives us a deeper insight of his latest work, Joseph’s Box.