I was recently interviewed by Natasha Stagg, the Editor-at-Large, Sonora Review. Click here to read from the website or scroll all the way down. You also might find my short short fiction at SR titled, 'Can I kill you again Mr. Hitler?', interesting. That's just after the interview down here, or read from the website.
*
Natasha Stagg: How long have you been writing?
Kulpreet Yadav: Eight years, in a serious way. Earlier I was just jotting random thoughts; and it could include anything of general interest. But now I am more planned, better focused and have developed an ability to take it forward where I left, much in the same tone. In short, I am able to sustain my thoughts, over a period of time.
NS: Do you write every day?
KY: Yes, on most days. I would reckon about eighty percent of days. The days I don’t write, I feel uncomfortable.
NS: What are your thoughts on “writing on writing?” Ever read the advice other authors give?
KY: I don’t know, frankly. It can work both ways: sure it is always a good thing to know what others think about your writing, but negative feedback can sometimes puncture the spirit of writing itself. To answer the second part, yes, I have read views of some people. In fact, I am at Zoetrope Virtual Studio, where fellow writers review other’s work.
NS: Do you have some advice to give?
KY: Just one thing: Writing allows you to reach areas and places you otherwise can’t. So, go ahead, write about your world, your ideas, your pains and pleasures. Reviewers may like the work, or may not, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is something that you thought worth sharing has been shared.
NS: Who is your favorite author of the moment, and what should we read by them?
KY: Anne Enright’s The Gathering, Rana Dasgupta’s Solo and Roald Dahl’s short stories. I am afraid I don’t have one favorite author.
NS: What is a book that kind of blew your mind, that we’d be surprised by?
KY: Tough one! As a kid, I was smitten by all the books written by Rene Brabazon Raymond. By the time I was eighteen, I had read almost all of his works. Indira Sinha’s The Death of Mr. Love and Upamanyu Chaterjee’s English August are two books I can say which really blew my mind.
*
Can I kill you Again, Mr. Hitler?
It’s funny; weird actually. When I close my eyes, I am with Hitler. But when I open, he is gone. So, excited, nervous, I keep them closed.
‘Hello, Mr. Hitler!’
He is smoking, smiling, but face is signature withdrawn. ‘Who are you?’
I start thinking, but he is ready for more, ‘Are you British?’
‘No.’
‘Russian?’
‘No.’
‘American?’
‘No.’
He turns to consult his aide; there is none.
‘We had fallen off the map.’
‘New enemy?’
‘Can I kill you again, Mr. Hitler?’
He laughs. ‘But I am a loser, already dead.
*
*
Natasha Stagg: How long have you been writing?
Kulpreet Yadav: Eight years, in a serious way. Earlier I was just jotting random thoughts; and it could include anything of general interest. But now I am more planned, better focused and have developed an ability to take it forward where I left, much in the same tone. In short, I am able to sustain my thoughts, over a period of time.
NS: Do you write every day?
KY: Yes, on most days. I would reckon about eighty percent of days. The days I don’t write, I feel uncomfortable.
NS: What are your thoughts on “writing on writing?” Ever read the advice other authors give?
KY: I don’t know, frankly. It can work both ways: sure it is always a good thing to know what others think about your writing, but negative feedback can sometimes puncture the spirit of writing itself. To answer the second part, yes, I have read views of some people. In fact, I am at Zoetrope Virtual Studio, where fellow writers review other’s work.
NS: Do you have some advice to give?
KY: Just one thing: Writing allows you to reach areas and places you otherwise can’t. So, go ahead, write about your world, your ideas, your pains and pleasures. Reviewers may like the work, or may not, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is something that you thought worth sharing has been shared.
NS: Who is your favorite author of the moment, and what should we read by them?
KY: Anne Enright’s The Gathering, Rana Dasgupta’s Solo and Roald Dahl’s short stories. I am afraid I don’t have one favorite author.
NS: What is a book that kind of blew your mind, that we’d be surprised by?
KY: Tough one! As a kid, I was smitten by all the books written by Rene Brabazon Raymond. By the time I was eighteen, I had read almost all of his works. Indira Sinha’s The Death of Mr. Love and Upamanyu Chaterjee’s English August are two books I can say which really blew my mind.
*
Can I kill you Again, Mr. Hitler?
It’s funny; weird actually. When I close my eyes, I am with Hitler. But when I open, he is gone. So, excited, nervous, I keep them closed.
‘Hello, Mr. Hitler!’
He is smoking, smiling, but face is signature withdrawn. ‘Who are you?’
I start thinking, but he is ready for more, ‘Are you British?’
‘No.’
‘Russian?’
‘No.’
‘American?’
‘No.’
He turns to consult his aide; there is none.
‘We had fallen off the map.’
‘New enemy?’
‘Can I kill you again, Mr. Hitler?’
He laughs. ‘But I am a loser, already dead.
*
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