Two Asian authors have been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2012. Tan Twan Eng and Jeet Thayil are two of the six shortlisted authors in contention for the Man Booker Prize 2012, it is announced (11 September 2012) alongside Deborah Levy, Hilary Mantel, Alison Moore and Will Self. The judges praised the powerful language …
Jaffrey to launch new curry title
Madhur Jaffrey will launch her new cook book, Curry Nation at the Bishopsgate Institute this month (October 17). In her only London event this year, the Queen of Curry will share stories about her journey taken across Britain, as part of a major new series with the Good Food Channel. Jaffrey explores her native cuisine …
Anita Sivakumaran
Q. Firstly congratulations on winning the Grassroutes commission. How did you go about producing a winning brief for the commission. What inspired you to create fiction based on conversations with strangers? Thank you. Having recently moved to Leicester, I would chat to the locals about the city. It was while walking home after buying …
Niven Govinden
On publication of his latest novel, Black Bread White Beer, The Asian Writer exchanged emails with Niven Govinden…
Twenty Rupees and an Air-conditioner – Arunima Mazumdar
To smoke a beedi and regale in its burning ingredients to perfection is not easy. One ought to puff at it between every five seconds. It’s not like the pricey cigarette that is able to burn itself naturally, whether you blow its filtered-butt or not. And so, the humble beedi finds its audience in the …
The Spot and other tales – Naz Abas Ng
1. The Spot In my heart there was a spot where we stood where I stand, still. And flowers that grew there have withered and died around me, when the seasons changed. I miss them, and for this, I waited there, for yet another spring. When spring came, and while they grew again – dancing …
Aunty Safia – Naureen Amjad
Aunty Safia was Uncle Safdar’s wife and she talked to people in the air. This is how my mind sketched her first portrait in my childhood. Uncle Safdar was my father’s elder brother and lived with my grandparents. He was a tall thin man with one of the kindest faces I have ever seen, and …
My Senses and You – Sun Slimstone
“I…love…you”, and I loved you too. Your sound, a sweet voice, excited, so happy I’ve come around. Moans, groans and changing tones through a day, later arguing, shouting, swearing, the good times didn’t stay. Your Chanel perfume, I think that I can still smell, And the over-cooked lasagne, you thought I couldn’t tell. Left the …
First person: On meeting Jacqui Lofthouse
I was excited but nervous about having the first fifty pages of my novel-in-progress reviewed by the novelist Jacqui Lofthouse, founder of The Writing Coach, a mentoring organisation for writers. This was the rather generous prize for winning The Asian Writer’s 2012 short story competition. Parts of my novel had been reviewed in writing workshops, …
Farhad Sorabjee
Q. How come we’ve not heard of you before? Tell us more about yourself and how you found yourself writing? A: Well, quite simply, you haven’t heard of me because you didn’t need to have till now! I’ve been writing since university, but have practised as a lawyer ever since. Still do. I did in …