Not just some random thoughts…

Youssef Ziedan

in Conversation with Mohammad Al Murr

“What can I do with all my pasion when I’m imprisoned in my worries?” Thought provoking much?

Welcome to Day 1 Session 6, International Prize for Arabic Fiction or Arabic Booker Prize, 2009 winner author Youssef Ziedan in Conversation with Mohammad Al Murr.

Do historical novels need research and reading to a great extent?

This is the first thing required. In any time, to write about history, you must try to live, imagine that time. I imagined I lived those scenes. In recent times, the anatomy would be different. To write about history, we go identify history.

Accusations: Instead of making it a history of religion, you made it a historical book.

When I was young, an editor asked me to write an article. I started writing, but I used to feel sad when parts of my articles were removed. I complained with my editor and he asked me to write again and again and keep writing.

In response to my novel, 6 books were wrote. One of which accused me of showing ignorance to history. I go back to what me editor told me: write and write.

What I see as more fruitful is that people won’t stop criticising. We are not going to wait for what these people think.

There are various aspects of history. Why would my novel be an accusation when it came 300 years after Coptic Chair? History can be dealt with various angles and we don’t wanna be dead or demolished again. I take the freedom provided as to me to write, but I will not cry. I write my novel, I finish my job and move to write another novel. So let them say what they want to say.

Do you think your novel is not a scientific information? Its fiction. Don’t you think you should refrain from writing such controversial things for the interest of nation?

We should confront tutorship. I did refrained from shedding lights on topics which conflicts with Sharia. Even the Bishop said, this is balance of power. Our Government banned Da Vinci Code (movie) when the Church requested them to.

Imagine if each region is going to come up with sad reactions, what will we write about?

I wanted to write how Jews left Alexandria because there was misery, but I avoided writing about those adventures. Things that are presented as undiscussable are not even close to history. I was not attacking Coptic Church or any person. Historical awareness covered in Azazil goes beyond this issue.

Kindly explain what part of your novel is historical, what is imagination and what’s the reality?

I have not put or created this framework. This is upon the reader to put his imagination to work. Character are real, they existed in history, I just manoeuvred them using some reference.

The text doesn’t include anything, The text it a mirror that reflects what you see. You are a reader and you come up with results.

How did you come about to write a novel?

I came to write novel from Sufism. ‘When’ indicated time, an era and spirits from beyond etc. Capacity of this term explains the power of literature.

A large part of my work are taken from Sufism and this was a natural reaction. Talent also needs other complimentary elements, you will have to read a LOT before writing such work.

About the author:

Youssef Zeidan is a Egypt born author. His academic work was focused on Sufism and other branches of Islamic philosophy and he is director of the Manuscript Centre and Museum affiliated to the Bibliotheca Alexandria. He is now most widely known for his bestselling second novel, Azazil which won the 2009 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (the ‘Arabic Boooker’).

Conn Iggulden

From Julius Caesar to Shakespeare to his own life story, Iggulden took the audience on a laughter ride. Making fun of himself, sharing his experiences, Iggulden talked about Julius Caesar’s fascinating story.

First Iggulden played psychologist, explaining what led to Julius Caesar being so violent. “Julius Caesar was kidnapped at the age of 19 & held for ransom. He decided, when I will eventually be free, I’ll kill all of them.”

“One of the difficulties of Historical Fiction is that sometimes you have to make your own stories”

Blessed with an amazing sense of humor, Iggulden just kept the audience spell bound with experiences like this: “I once asked a tribal: How do you separate sheep from a goat? Tribal: why do you want to separate sheep from a goat?”

And it couldn’t have been more aptly put than this: “Every writer is a reader first.” and “People do care about each other. We are all interested in others.”

About the author:

Teacher Turned bestselling writer, Conn Iggulden, credits his Irish mother, who explained history to him as a series of exciting stories together with an early diet of Flashman, Jack Aubrey and Sharpe, as having kindled his interest in historical fiction. His own career took off in 2003 with The Gates of Rome, the first in his Emperor series following the life of Julius Caesar. His new series based on Genghis Khan, leaped straight into the bestseller lists.

Bahaa Taher, Yann Martel and Imtiaz Dharker
In conversation with Paul Blezard

Concept of muses:

Bahaa: I don’t believe we need muses to inspire poetry or music. We need inspiration and own realisation to to create poetry. Inspiration changes from one period to another. Writers or artist fail to produce words sometimes. Muses of poetry or music is inside ourself and its upon us how can we make use of them.

Joy of creative writing: What sustains you?

Imtiaz: I don’t believe you can write in hope that someone will publish it. You have to start with that, just start with that. With poetry you write knowing its a hopeless cause. You are forced to do it. The audience may never be there. When I first read Gerard Manley Hopkins, I realised words were playful, thats when I began to write.

Bahaa: If inspiration dies, you need to stop at that stage and consider two options: First – Refrain from writing or Pursue with diligence or wait, wait for inspiration. Hemmingway shot himself when he couldn’t write. Optimism is paramount. When writing is impossible, people still continue to write without inspiration.

I do think they do understand the advises, they continue to write when the inspiration is not present for fans. Stop writing when inspiration dies. God takes care of writers.

Yann: Writing is North America is commercialised. Publishers now make huge sums, while writers suffer. Writers now submit themselves to commercialisation. When I started writing, what I loved was that I control things. You have a sense you are god. When you are 19, you can follow your dreams, so do when you are 30. But at 40, you need to stop being optimistic and be realistic.

Imtiaz: For a writer, colleagues are other writers in the world, great source of inspiration, living and dead.

Bahaa: Applies to real writers, not superficial writers. People write series of books to prove their effective presence.

Yann Martel leapt to public attention in 2001 when his second novel, Life of Pie, won the Booker Prize.

Bahaa Taher’s novel Sunset Oasis won the IPAF, or Arabic Bo0ker in 2008.

Imtiaz Dharker is a Pakistan-born, Scottish educated poet.

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