LLF Day-3: Constituting a great novel discussed

LAHORE: The third day of Lahore Literary Festival (LLF) opened with a session with novelists, exploring ‘What constitutes a great novel?’ in which fiction writers Shehan Karunatilaka from Sri Lanka, winner of the Booker Prize in 2022, Nadifa Mohamed, a British-Somali novelist short-listed for the Booker Prize, and HM Naqvi, a Pakistani novelist, winner of the DSC Prize for South Asian literature, talked about fiction writing and discussed characters and context for enduring works. The session was moderated by Sabyn Javeri, author of three novels herself.

The first question Sabyn put to the speakers was, “What is a story worth telling—a story that appealed to you?” to which Karunatilaka said, “We have plenty of conflict. There are certain stories that are not being told. I have opinion over Sri Lankan politics. It’s up to you to decide what you want to engage with. I thought of writing about cricket which is as volatile a subject as politics.”

Nadifa said, “I have found my stories within the stories of other people. For me story-telling is examining other people’s lives. A sailor who knows five, six languages is interesting. Why wouldn’t you write about that?” she asked.

To a question about reading habit, one thing that came to the fore was that all fiction writers have read a lot and are great readers. Karunatilaka said he makes a list. “I put asterisks on books I think I want to reread—these are books that have many layers to uncover.”

HM Naqvi said he has been writing since childhood. “The books that appeared great to me once upon a time, have changed. Post colonialism is temporary.” To a question if the context of story changes with the writer’s own life, the Sri Lankan novelist said, “I would explore characters different from myself, such as write about a female in a war. You have to get out of your own head,” he said. The Somali writer said, “I don’t think about what readers would like to read.”

HM Naqvi said all his protagonists are Pakistani male. “My next protagonist is a middle-aged man. I ask the same questions again and again. They are ‘what does it mean to be a good human being? Why a good man does a bad thing or a bad man does a good thing?’ Once I am done with my novel, it is up to the reader to find meaning in it. Everybody will be evaluated differently at different places. The writer brings his own sensibility and experience to the table.

Talking about his character Abdullah the Cossack, Naqvi said, “He is an old denizen of Karachi—a product of dozens of interviews I conducted of those who are familiar with Karachi of the 40s, 50s and 60s. Later, Abdullah is me,” he said, adding, “There is a very porous membrane that separates the novelist and his characters.”

Nadifa, talking about her character Mahmud, said, “He was known to my father. He is not necessarily a likeable or easy person. I grew up among my father and his friends. If you feel representative of Somali life, you have to maintain some control over yourself. There is this constant demand to create content. I find oppressors most interesting people to write about,” she said.

Karunatilaka said, “I have to find the voice in order to write. Until I have the voice, I cannot write a novel.” He has written two novels so far that have been very well received. “You can see what I see about Sri Lanka.”

To when do they write, Nadifa said she writes between 2am and 5am. “This is when things slowly coalesce.” She also writes between 3pm and 5pm. Karunatilaka said evenings are too busy for him to take up writing at that time. He said, “Earlier, I would sleep 3-4 hours but now I sleep 7 hours and things are much better. I wake up at 4am in the morning and I am fresh. Writing is the first thing I do in the morning. That is the best time for writing. These are magic hours.”

HM Naqvi writes at night—from 9pm to 4am in the morning. “You cannot rely on writing novels alone for a living,” he said. Karunatilaka said, “Winning a Booker Prize helps as a writer. We keep writing regardless.”

Wajiha Hyder announced LLF Folklore Award at the end. There were poetry recitals by Syeda Henna Babar Ali with Bushra Naqi. In all there were 30 sessions on the last day of the festival including humourous Punjabi poetry which people were really looking forward to. On the first day there was a session with acclaimed novelist Mustansar Hussain Tarar in Hall 1.