By Neena Bhandari
Sydney, 12.09.2001 (The Pioneer): Amitav Ghosh is a participant in The Age 2001 Melbourne Writers’ Festival, which begins today. After being delayed for more than 12 hours due to an engine problem on his Qantas flight from Mumbai to Sydney, Ghosh went straight to the dais at Stanton Library in North Sydney for a reading from his latest novel, The Glass Palace (HarperCollins), followed by another reading at Gleebooks.
The uncertainty surrounding his flight threw my interview schedule into disarray at least three times. However, when we finally managed to meet, Ghosh spoke at length about the years it takes to research his books, the craft of storytelling, the rewards of meeting genuinely interested readers, colonial history and the growing number of contemporary Asian authors writing about it, and what it takes to balance professional and personal life.
Is this the first writers’ festival you are attending in Australia?
No, this is not my first festival in Australia. I attended the Sydney Writers’ Festival about five years ago.
In the few days that you have been here, what kind of response have you received from Australian readers? The Glass Palace has already sold more than 12,000 copies here since its launch in February this year.
My experience has been very good. The last time I was here, the Sydney festival was a small event. I don’t know if it has changed now. I have done a couple of public events, and they have been well attended by people who seemed genuinely interested. I am extremely pleased.
People, who come to these readings, have usually read my books very carefully and in great detail. It is always wonderful when that happens. It is very touching and a very rewarding experience. Usually, when I do readings, I meet a lot of Indians, but here I was surprised to find very few.
When you read passages from your book, there is so much passion that it almost feels as though one is transported to the place you are describing. What do you feel in those moments?
It is interesting that you say that. Writing is a very intense process of concentration. It is one way of shutting out the world; it is just you and a piece of paper.
Reading aloud is completely different because other people are present. It is a different process altogether. It is often enjoyable, and it has certainly been enjoyable here.
At the reading from The Glass Palace at Gleebooks in Sydney, you spoke about the damage left behind by colonialism. How important do you think contemporary Indian authors are in uncovering the unwritten Asian side of the story?
Many Asian authors are thinking about these issues, and I certainly consider myself one of them. I have been very involved in addressing and reflecting on these questions.
Every book, however, is its own world. It addresses a particular set of issues and ideas. For me, The Glass Palace was about that aspect of our history. I am sure that when I write another book, it will be about something else. One cannot lay down a rule that everyone should write about one subject or another.
There are, in fact, many authors writing about these historical issues. People often send me manuscripts, and I see a great deal of interest in such themes. I believe a book on the Mutiny of 1857 is about to be published. Gradually, we will see more and more writing of this kind.
The last two pages of The Glass Palace almost seem to begin a new story. Is there a seed for another novel there?
(Laughs.) That is a very interesting question, Neena, but no—not at all. I do not foresee a sequel.
Are you working on your next book?
I have been thinking about another book, but frankly, ever since I finished The Glass Palace, I have been so busy with all the things writers are expected to do nowadays—publicity and promotion—that I have not had the time to settle down and devote myself to a new project.
Your books are extensively researched. How long does it take you to complete a book?
The Glass Palace was a special case. It took much longer than anything else I have written—five years of work. It was a far longer undertaking than any of my previous books, and the research was much more intensive. I cannot make a general rule, but in most cases, it takes me about three years to complete a book.
How do you balance your role as a professor in the Department of Comparative Literature, the travel required for research, and family life?
Family takes much more time than work or anything else. One simply has to manage. The only way to do that, especially when you have a family, is through careful planning and making the best possible use of your time.
Before I travel anywhere, I make sure interviews and arrangements are organised well in advance. If you do that, the rest tends to fall into place. My family always travels with me to India. In fact, they were with me in Kerala and are still there while I have come here. We spend several months every year in India.
My mother and sister live in Kolkata, and I have a family home there. I visit as often as I can.
Do you enjoy teaching?
I really enjoy teaching. I love it because it brings me into contact with young people and gives me an insight into how they see the world. I learn a great deal from my students. What exactly I learn, I cannot always tell you, but I do learn a lot from them.
Your wife is a senior editor at Little, Brown and Company. What role does she play in your writing?
She reads my manuscript before most other people, although she is not usually the first reader. I benefit enormously from her criticism and input. It always helps a great deal. On the whole, however, we try to keep work and family separate.
Among contemporary Indian authors, whom would you rate highly?
There is so much good writing in India nowadays, and it is not always by the authors people hear about most often.
During the past few months in India, I have been reading extensively, and almost everything I have read has been by contemporary Indian writers. There are simply so many wonderful books. It is a pleasure to witness such an outpouring of Indian writing.
For example, I recently read a wonderful book by the Malayalee writer, Madhavan Kutty. It has recently been translated into English and published by India Ink. It is a memoir of life in Kerala and an absolutely wonderful book.
At the moment, I am reading Upamanyu Chatterjee’s The Mammaries of the Welfare State. It is a comic masterpiece. I was reading it on the plane and simply could not stop laughing. It has been a long time since I read a book that made me burst out laughing. Every page contains something funny, satirical and witty. I am completely bowled over by it.
Do you plan to write in any language other than English?
That would probably be difficult for me at this point, but I would certainly love to write something in Bengali someday. It has been a long-term ambition of mine. I have translated some works into Bengali.
Which of your books is your favourite?
That is a very difficult question to answer. Usually, my latest book is my favourite, so at the moment, it is The Glass Palace.
Do you have any plans to return permanently to India?
Every year I feel increasingly tempted to spend more time in India. My children are growing up, and once they are in college, I think I will return. I already spend several months each year in India. It would simply mean extending those stays because I would then have more flexibility with my time.
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