Q.1 Tell us something about yourself not many people know?
A. I love wearing jewelry, I wear a little in public, and wish I could
wear more.
Q.2 When should we expect your next book? What will it be about?
A. I have a draft, but I’m finicky about revisions, so it may take a
while a year and a half or more. It’s a college campus novel that examines the
meaning of the teacher-student relation, the meaning of mentorship, of success
and failure, of the mutual expectations and the responsibilities between the
mentor and the mentee.
Q.3 What spurred you to write The Scent of God? Is there a
personal story behind it?
A. I knew this world. I went to a school much like this, a boarding school
run by a saffron order. I knew the intoxicating mix of strange forces that
defined its atmosphere - the sensory aura of religion, the smell of incense and
flowers, the music of hymns, and the erotic intensity created by the gathering
of pubescent boys there, who are asked to deny their bodily urges. I felt I
just had to capture this magnetic atmosphere in fiction. The story was
invented, but some of the characters, especially the teachers and the monks,
mix echoes of different real-life characters. I’ve long been fascinated by the artistic
potential of religion, and the mix of religion and non-conventional sexuality
made this story hard to resist.
Q.4 How many books have you written? Which one is your favorite?
A. Three novels, a book of criticism, a nonfiction book on college
education. If you insist, I’ll have to name The Firebird (published in
the US as Play House), my second novel, though The Scent of God
is also very dear to me.
Q.5 What do you want readers to take away from your books?
A. That it moves them, takes them to a different world, shifts their
perception of life a little.
Q.6 How do you think LGBTQ representation has improved or expanded in the
recent years?
A. I don’t think artistic creativity follows legal reform. LGBTQ
representation has been always there, perhaps in a more hidden or indirect form.
Perhaps the motifs are becoming more direct and assertive with social and legal
progress.
Q.7 Among all the protagonist of your books, which one is your favorite
and why?
A. Ori in The Firebird. He is a young boy caught in a destructive
fascination with his mother’s life as a theatre actor. I enjoyed creating his relationship
with the art form of theatre. He has a little bit of me - my mother was also an
actor in theatre and television.
Q.8 How do you select the name of your characters?
A. They are hard. With Indian characters, the names usually have some
relevant meaning. I try to choose names that are simple but striking, lyrical
but do not draw attention to themselves.
Q.9 If you could change one thing about your novels, what would it be and
why?
A. I wish my earlier novels had lighter, more humorous moments in the
middle of their intense themes. However, I’m getting better at writing lighter
moments, even though my larger thematic preoccupations remain quite serious.
Q.10 What was one of the most surprising things you learned while writing
your books?
A. You cannot choose a story. The story chooses you. You have very little
agency in deciding on what a book is about. As you start writing, you come to
play a more conscious role.
Q.11 Who would you most like to thank for their involvement in your
writing career?
A. My family, teachers, friends, especially my teachers of literature and
writing. My mother, who passed away young but left me with a love of art.
Q.12 Do you believe in writer’s block? If yes, how do you deal with it?
A. I suffer not so much with writers’ block but with phases of false
writing when I spend a long time writing something and then have to throw it
away realizing it’s useless. You can’t really deal with it - there is something
mystical about the first arrival of a story. Once you’re in it, you’re more in
control - then concentration and hard work go a long way.
Q.13 Tell us about your writing process while you’re working?
A. I walk in between my sentences. Thought stimulates me, so I walk and
write. If I spend 6 hours writing, I’ve usually also walked for 6 hours! At the
end of it, I’m sweaty and exhausted!
Q.14 Do you have any unique and quirky writing habits?
A. Some people find my habit of walking and writing a bit odd!
Q.15 How does your family/friends feel about your book or writing venture
in general?
A. They are happy and supportive. But writing is intense, it takes a toll
on the family. I could play with my children more if it wasn’t so demanding!
Q.16 Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with good and bad
ones?
A. I do. What matters more than “good” or “bad” reviews is whether a
review seriously engages with the book. A book that does so and offers
meaningful criticism is always welcome. Of course, a positive review makes me
happy.
Q.17 What’s your greatest weakness as a writer?
A. I think I’m a lot better at crafting scenes than long-range narratives,
the microscope rather than the telescope. I would like the latter skill to
improve.
Q.18 Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
A. No famous people, but I would like to meet my parents. They both
passed away very young.
Q.19 What books have most influenced your life?
A. Too many to name and the nature of books change all the time.
Q.20 Share the experience of your journey so far?
A. An exhausting marathon, I’m exhausted and refreshed at the same time - and a long way to go still.
A few words for Books Charming -
You’re doing a great job, bringing book news to the world, sharing their
images. I believe the world would be a happier, calmer place if we all read
more books - readers and thinkers like you can help us get there.
Share your social account links -
Facebook - @saikatmajumdar
Twitter - @_saikatmajumdar
Instagram - @saikatmajumdar23
Website - https://saikatmajumdar.com/
Very candid interview.
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