‘No two readers are the same’: Anita Nair
Mohan Gulrajani
‘No two readers are the same’: Anita Nair on being a female author in India and her approach to writing
In an email interview with indianexpress.com, Anita Nair spoke about the way she compartmentalises her writing, what she seeks to achieve through them and if writing can indeed be taught.
"Teaching writing, is more precisely, just teaching how to go about reining in imagination and knowing when to let it fly," she said.
Anita Nair’s writing bristles with ingenuity. The essayist, novelist and poet holds a mirror to the society with her written word, outlining the position women are made to occupy and the extent till which they are compelled to shrink. The award-winning author is as prolific as she is versatile.
She recently collaborated with Unluclass, a non-academic platform, where the author will be teaching writing to eager souls. In an email interview with indianexpress.com, she spoke about the way she compartmentalises her writing, what she seeks to achieve through them and if writing can indeed be taught.
Excerpts:
You have written fiction, essays and poems. Do you compartmentalise your approach as a writer?
As a writer, it is important to remember that no two readers are the same. Different readers choose different genres for different reasons, and as a writer, I need the ability to draw readers into my story and to keep them there. This can only be done by compartmentalising my writing style to suit the genre. For instance, making sure my poetic side doesn’t spill into, say, my column on roof gardening, and overwhelm it! So yes, I usually categorise my approach which I talk about in my online course.
Your writing holds a mirror to the lives of contemporary women like Ladies Coupé. How much of present-day reality do you draw from?
It is a sad reality that the women are still seen as second class citizens in our society. In the book, for example, I have broached the subject “does a woman really need a man to feel complete?”. This is a topic that can trigger many interesting conversations, even to this day. From corporate boardrooms to courts and political leaderships all around the world, the lack of women in senior positions can be considered as a reflection of the continuous fostering of the perception that women are less qualified and competent than men. So in a sense, I can say that I use the present reality, but just sculpt and mould it to fit the narrative of the story.
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As woman writers, it is more common for questions to be raised about our credentials and methodologies than an average male writer. Our writing is sometimes considered “too feminine”. Even looking at the sales figures of some of the best selling authors, it suggests that a lot of readers still approach books on the basis of the gender of the writer. But I believe that writing is all about expressing your imagination and feeling in such a way that it connects you with the anonymous reader. This skill is something that is born of both instinct and dedication. Again this is something that I am going to be covering in my course.
“Most
writing comes from real life experiences,” she says. (Source: Amazon.in)
Your course is about teaching writing. Do you believe it can be taught?
Half of writing is imagination. Teaching writing, is more precisely, just teaching how to go about reining in imagination and knowing when to let it fly. There are some rules of writing that aid with the rest. As important is the commitment to one’s talent and the conviction to shape it. With the course, students will not only be able to tap into their imagination, but also be able to refine their skills and improve over time. Part of learning to write is discovering your strengths and weaknesses, and students of this course will be able to experience different styles of writing to know what is their forte.
What would be your tips to young writers?
Most writing comes from real life experiences. It is really important to observe everything around you and journal your observation, thoughts and ideas to be able to bring it to your writing and narrate it better. If you are a writer you need to be a reader, too. Read as much as you can and keep practising your writing style. Remember, there is no escaping that. Never doubt yourself, just write what you feel is best. Write when you are comfortable, and write even if you make mistakes. Everything in this world is do-able, so never give up and keep your focus on what you aspire towards.
Anita Nair
An Introduction:
Anita Nair is an Indian novelist who made her mark by not conforming to the prevalent trends in Indian English Literature. She has chosen her own way of writing and thus, also became the best seller and not only in the terms of the number of books sold (that we all know can be done by hiring one of the best book marketing companies in India) but also in garnering the opinions and critically valued appreciation from the book and literature critics in India. She has tried hard to become (but does not acknowledge) the voice of true feminism in the contemporary Indian English literature, not like Shoba De and others who have rather turned feminism into a show where you get to see unnecessary demands of headless equality with men rather than essential necessities that can change the actual situations on the ground for women. We will look into the writings and life of Anita Nair in this article.
Personal Life:
Anita Nair was born on 26th January 1966 in Kerala. She went to Chennai for early education then returned to Kerala to obtain a graduate degree in English language and literature. She started her writing journey when she was working in an advertising agency as a creative head. She published a collection of short stories that made her famous and helped her to receive a fellowship from Virginia centre. That incident changed her life and she turned to be a full-time novelist. And then, we all know how famous Anita Nair became as a novelist in India as well as abroad.
Her Writings:
The concept, ideas and plot of Anita’s novel are somewhat different than the ordinary contemporary fiction writers. She tries to describe everything in detail and you cannot find a rush in narrating a certain context. She has shifted the idea from the city lights to the dawn of villages. Her novel The Better Man recalls the values that are inherited in the village atmosphere that is almost forgotten in the contemporary Indian English fiction. Jealousy, anger and ambition all you can find in this novel. The novel forced me to think of Mulk raj Anand and R.K. Narayan while reading it.
Arguably her best novel Ladies Coupe (Ladies Coupe book review) portrays the conditions of women in a (supposedly) male-dominated society. It does have a different plot and the author does narrate her story in a different way. However, like the usual ‘jamaat’ or group of feminists does in India, Anita Nair, unfortunately, sweeps the entire ‘Brahmin’ community in a colour of shame. The problems against women are everywhere in the world and a little more (supposedly) in India. However, it is in every community – not only in ‘Typical Brahmin’ family. I come from a Brahmin family and in our family and our neighbourhood and our region, women are FREE – Anita! And this attitude of the feminist writers delude the true meaning of feminism and often compels the readers to think that the authors are not writing to support the case of feminism but to bash Brahmans! And this is, sadly, the tragedy of Indian fiction today!
The Better Man by her, published in 2000, is indeed a better novel that tells the story of a common man and his problems. It also takes the readers to the village side of the country rather than keeping them suffocating in the towns and call centres of Chetan Bhagat. Another remarkable novel by her, Mistress (published 2005), tries to explore and perhaps synthesise various perspectives in the relationship between man and woman. This is written in a first-person narrative and the repeated use of the word ‘fuck’ and also many other modern adjectives and the adjacent vocabulary that made the swift transition from 20th to 21st -century possible show that Indian English fiction was about to change for the traditional as well as the contemporary readers. We were about to enter in a new world of writing where Indianness in Indian English novels, as well as Indianness in Indian English poetry, were about to be served with the slangs that we borrowed – taking the dilemma to a further level of the medium of expression.
Her latest novel Eating Wasps is about a writer and her ambitions and contradictions. Anita Nair writers in an emphatic but gentle manner with her narrative sharp and precisely focused on the delivery of messages and conveying of emotions to the readers.
In terms of language, Nair’s novels are very much contemporary. However, it the gravity of her themes that alienate her from the usual young readers who cannot digest the depth in their shallow reading schedules that often table the books by young authors writing for youthful fancies. Anita Nair’s novels demand a maturity from her readers and that is something one needs to develop before diving into the fictional cage of hers.
Her novels reflect the struggle and conflict they have to go in order to represent themselves.
List of Works:
A list of Works published by Anita Nair:
1. Saytr of the Subway, published in 1997
2. The Better Man, published in 1999
3. Ladies Coupe, published in 2001
4. The Puffin books of Myths and Legends, published in 2004
5. Mistress, published in 2003
6. Adventures of Nonu, The skating squirrel, published in 2006
7. Living next door to Alice, published in 2007
8. Magical Indian Myths, published in 2008
9. Cut Like Wound, published in 2012
10. The Lilac House, published in 2012
11. Alphabet soup for lovers, published in 2016
12. Eating Wasps, published in 2018
You can buy all the novels (or selected ones) by Anita Nair from Amazon India here – Buy the novels online – Amazon
Notable awards:
1. The Kerala Sahitya Academy Award ( 2012)
2. The Hindu Literary Prize (2014)
3. Crossword Book Award (2017
Conclusion:
Anita Nair is not like the usual contemporary Indian novelist who writes for cheap popularity by comprising with language and plot and most importantly, by managing the depth of the theme according to the ‘market policies’. She writes because she has to and whether it’s her agenda behind a feminist fiction or her characters’ enigma. Her novels may be problematic in terms of her one-eye-sightedness at times. Though with the use of contemporary language she tries to connect with the contemporary readers, that is still something which does not seem happening as it happens with Chetan Bhagat. Anita connects with the serious readers and so she has the respect of the literary fraternity and Chetan Bhagat (and likes of him) connects with the reader base and fan base with cheap stunts and so he does not have the literary respect. And this is where I rest my case.
by Amit Mishra for The Indian Authors
https://theindianauthors.in/novelists/anita-nair/
Dr. Mohan Gulrajani
Gurugram - Haryana - 122009
Ph. 9818253979, 0124-437676