I've been posting only poetry on my blog. Though if you'd dig deep into the archives you'd find a short story and maybe a thought or two but nothing else. But now I am thinking I should post more of my prose.
I have another orphaned blog of mine called 'Adha Gaon' or 'Half A Village'. I didn't intend to title it that way but it was my first day at blogging. I had no clue and I was half lost in the maze of instructions thrown at me. I clicked on something and lo! I had a blog staring at me with a title 'Adha Gaon'. It is actually a novel written in Hindi by a distant granduncle of mine. The novel is very reminiscent of Marquez's 'A Hundred Years of Solitude'. However, by the time I read Marquez my granduncle had already bid adieu to the world. I couldn't ask him whether he was influenced by Marquez but in a conversation with a friend of his, another littérateur, I realized that it was coincidental that both the novels had a similar structure. They both were written almost at the same time and none could have been influenced with each other. The novel 'Adha Gaon' went on to win the Sahitya Akademi Award and was later succesfully adapted in a sitcom titled 'Neem ka Ped'. It was also translated into English by Gillian Wright and published by Penguins.
I remember at a dinner conversation I told Gillian Wright that the title they've chosen is outrageous. The first Penguin print titled the novel as 'The Feuding Families of Village Gangauli'. Why couldn't they just literally translate the original title - 'Half A Village'? That sounds better. Gillian agreed with me and said she didn't have any choice as the decision was Editor's. However, when the next edition came out Penguins had changed the title to 'Half A Village'. Some relief!
Anyways, coming back to where we were I think I should retitle that blog and use it more for my prose writings. I think I should start by posting an article that I wrote after reading Amitava Kumar's 'Husband of A Fanatic'. I like that piece and I think is a good way to begin if I wish to hit the prose road. What say you?
I'd love your comments. They always encourage and give me hope in my despairing moment when I doubt my ability to be a writer/ poet. :-)
Cheers
Murtaza Danish Husain
I have another orphaned blog of mine called 'Adha Gaon' or 'Half A Village'. I didn't intend to title it that way but it was my first day at blogging. I had no clue and I was half lost in the maze of instructions thrown at me. I clicked on something and lo! I had a blog staring at me with a title 'Adha Gaon'. It is actually a novel written in Hindi by a distant granduncle of mine. The novel is very reminiscent of Marquez's 'A Hundred Years of Solitude'. However, by the time I read Marquez my granduncle had already bid adieu to the world. I couldn't ask him whether he was influenced by Marquez but in a conversation with a friend of his, another littérateur, I realized that it was coincidental that both the novels had a similar structure. They both were written almost at the same time and none could have been influenced with each other. The novel 'Adha Gaon' went on to win the Sahitya Akademi Award and was later succesfully adapted in a sitcom titled 'Neem ka Ped'. It was also translated into English by Gillian Wright and published by Penguins.
I remember at a dinner conversation I told Gillian Wright that the title they've chosen is outrageous. The first Penguin print titled the novel as 'The Feuding Families of Village Gangauli'. Why couldn't they just literally translate the original title - 'Half A Village'? That sounds better. Gillian agreed with me and said she didn't have any choice as the decision was Editor's. However, when the next edition came out Penguins had changed the title to 'Half A Village'. Some relief!
Anyways, coming back to where we were I think I should retitle that blog and use it more for my prose writings. I think I should start by posting an article that I wrote after reading Amitava Kumar's 'Husband of A Fanatic'. I like that piece and I think is a good way to begin if I wish to hit the prose road. What say you?
I'd love your comments. They always encourage and give me hope in my despairing moment when I doubt my ability to be a writer/ poet. :-)
Cheers
Murtaza Danish Husain
5 comments:
Danish,
needless to say, the good wishes r always with u.
:)
Keep writing Dan..just be at it!You have immense talent and a wonderful skill with words!
Excellent thought. Your prose is as evocative as your poetry.
:-D
I tried reading 'hundred years of solitude once' ..i'm still trying. your prose is bound to be as beautiful as your poetry..so write on i say.
No matter what others say, I think it is still interesting and useful maybe necessary to improve some minor things
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