AUTHOR'S INTERVIEW : PATNA BLUES BY ABDULLAH KHAN

Born in a village near Motihari, Bihar, Abdullah was initially educated in madarsa (Islamic seminary) and Urdu medium school. Abdullah’s writings have appeared in Brooklyn Rail (New York), Wasafiri (London), The Hindu (India), and Friday Times (Pakistan) among others. He is also a screenwriter and his debut film Viraam was released in theatres in December, 2017. Patna Blues is his first novel. 

Who was your main source of inspiration at the time of portraying Patna Blues ? 

initially, the city itself was the inspiration and then restlessness to tell the stories to the world I have been harbouring inside me for many years.

 Are the characters mentioned in your novel do practically exist ?

Most of the charecters are fictional except a few like Arif's Mom or grand ma are inspired by my own mom and grand ma. 

  

What one thing would you give up to become a better writer ?

The habit to waste time on the social media. 

  

If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult , what would you do ?

I would go to Harvard or Oxford to read English literature. 

What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?  

I want Patna Blues to be published in all major languages in the world. Right now, I consider myself partially successful.

What is the most important thing that people DON'T know about your subject/genre, that they need to know?

The chapters in my novel appears to be exotic or unreal are actually inspired by real events and those parts which sound realistic are the figment of my imagination.   

Who are some of your favorite authors that you feel were influential in your work?  What impact have they had on your writing?

George Orwell inspired me to become a writer. Vikram Seth's  A Suitable Boy  made me to keep my prose simple. Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance  taught me to make my novel page turner.  Phaniswer Nath Renu's short stories instigated me to set part of my novel in a typical Bihari village.

  

How do you feel about ebooks vs. print books and alternative vs. conventional publishing?

The print book is not going to disappear at least for next 50-60 years. E-book works more with genre fiction. I prefer conventional publishing route.

Where did your love of books/storytelling/reading/writing/etc. come from?

I was 5 or 6 year old when my father gifted me a story book and from that day I fell in love with the  stories. During my school days I read a lot of popular fiction in Hindi and Urdu and then shifted to liteary novels. In mid 1990s I discovered that George Orwell was born in my home district and wondered if I could be a writer. And, when Arundhati Roy won Booker in 1997, I was so motivated that I started writing my first novel.

What next? 

I am working on my second novel which is about a boy who was born in the same house where Eric Blair aka Orwell was born. He  began to believe that he was an incranation of Orwell and that belief had far reaching impact on his life.

QUESTIONARY & INTERVIEWED BY 

MR. SUMAN PANDA