<p>Anuradha Roy’s Sleeping on Jupiter, shortlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2016, follows protagonist Nomi, who returns to India, and Jarmuli, where she had a tumultuous childhood. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The novel explores the dark secrets and unpleasant truths that plague the fictitious temple town. In a recent interview, the author touched upon aspects of the book and the DSC Prize, influences on her writing, and other activities. <br /><br />Excerpts from the interview:<br /><br />What was the inspiration behind ‘Sleeping on Jupiter’?<br /><br />The book grew from a long short-story in which three old friends go for a holiday on a beach. As I grew interested in the tangential characters in that story, one of whom was Nomi, the novel started taking shape.<br /><br />What does being shortlisted for the DSC Prize mean to you?<br /><br />Writing is such a solitary occupation. These nominations make you feel as if people you know and respect have read your work and thought well of it. <br /><br />How important are awards in the literary field, especially for writers?<br /><br />They bring new readers; they often help with the sale of rights into foreign languages. So they are helpful.<br /><br />How important is it for fiction to mirror society? When you write, do you feel there’s a message that must reveal itself through the telling of the story?<br /><br />No, I never think of messages or society. If I can’t create characters and a world that involves me completely, I can’t go on with the writing. That’s all that really matters to me.<br /><br />Was it a childhood dream to be a writer?<br /><br />I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, but I have trouble thinking of myself as a ‘writer’. I think of myself as a jack of all trades, including book designing and dog walking.<br /><br />Where did you spend your childhood? What are your fondest memories, and do they influence your writing in any way?<br /><br />I suppose all childhoods deeply influence writing — I spent a lot of my growing years in forested places or small towns; my books usually reflect this. My happiest childhood years were in Hyderabad. It was an ideal-sized town then and we could wander alone, cycle, and climb trees. I went to Nasr School, run by the very imaginative Anees Khan, where our brilliant English teacher, Chandra Dorai, made us write a lot during our classes: stories, essays, anything we wanted. She knew how important freedom is for anything creative.<br /><br />Which authors inspired you while growing up? Who are your favourite authors now?<br /><br />My favourite childhood book was one called the Golden Goblet, about an orphan boy called Ranofer who thwarts a wicked tomb-raider in ancient Egypt. I loved Asterix and Tintin and Blyton and Jennings and the nonsense verse of Sukumar Ray. Right now... I’ve been going through a spell of reading 19th century fiction as well as travel writing and letters.<br /><br />Does being a writer inspire your work at your publishing house, Permanent Black?<br /><br />Not really. Our publishing house does scholarly books, mainly history and politics, and my involvement is only in designing book covers, plate sections and so on.<br /><br />How important is discipline in writing, and what role does inspiration play?<br /><br />Ideas come only after long periods of intense thinking or being involved with the writing, and once I’ve begun a book, I become obsessed with it. But it’s not as if I write every day. In fact, I find a hundred ways to put it off. When I am writing, the day is divided between the research for it and the writing.<br /><br />Outside of writing, what activities keep you going? What do you do to unwind after a hectic day?<br /><br />I make pots; I walk my dogs; I cook and garden... the usual things.<br /><br />Is it possible for a writer to make a living out of writing alone?<br /><br />If you are very fortunate. It’s always wise to have a Plan B.<br /><br /><br /></p>
<p>Anuradha Roy’s Sleeping on Jupiter, shortlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2016, follows protagonist Nomi, who returns to India, and Jarmuli, where she had a tumultuous childhood. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The novel explores the dark secrets and unpleasant truths that plague the fictitious temple town. In a recent interview, the author touched upon aspects of the book and the DSC Prize, influences on her writing, and other activities. <br /><br />Excerpts from the interview:<br /><br />What was the inspiration behind ‘Sleeping on Jupiter’?<br /><br />The book grew from a long short-story in which three old friends go for a holiday on a beach. As I grew interested in the tangential characters in that story, one of whom was Nomi, the novel started taking shape.<br /><br />What does being shortlisted for the DSC Prize mean to you?<br /><br />Writing is such a solitary occupation. These nominations make you feel as if people you know and respect have read your work and thought well of it. <br /><br />How important are awards in the literary field, especially for writers?<br /><br />They bring new readers; they often help with the sale of rights into foreign languages. So they are helpful.<br /><br />How important is it for fiction to mirror society? When you write, do you feel there’s a message that must reveal itself through the telling of the story?<br /><br />No, I never think of messages or society. If I can’t create characters and a world that involves me completely, I can’t go on with the writing. That’s all that really matters to me.<br /><br />Was it a childhood dream to be a writer?<br /><br />I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, but I have trouble thinking of myself as a ‘writer’. I think of myself as a jack of all trades, including book designing and dog walking.<br /><br />Where did you spend your childhood? What are your fondest memories, and do they influence your writing in any way?<br /><br />I suppose all childhoods deeply influence writing — I spent a lot of my growing years in forested places or small towns; my books usually reflect this. My happiest childhood years were in Hyderabad. It was an ideal-sized town then and we could wander alone, cycle, and climb trees. I went to Nasr School, run by the very imaginative Anees Khan, where our brilliant English teacher, Chandra Dorai, made us write a lot during our classes: stories, essays, anything we wanted. She knew how important freedom is for anything creative.<br /><br />Which authors inspired you while growing up? Who are your favourite authors now?<br /><br />My favourite childhood book was one called the Golden Goblet, about an orphan boy called Ranofer who thwarts a wicked tomb-raider in ancient Egypt. I loved Asterix and Tintin and Blyton and Jennings and the nonsense verse of Sukumar Ray. Right now... I’ve been going through a spell of reading 19th century fiction as well as travel writing and letters.<br /><br />Does being a writer inspire your work at your publishing house, Permanent Black?<br /><br />Not really. Our publishing house does scholarly books, mainly history and politics, and my involvement is only in designing book covers, plate sections and so on.<br /><br />How important is discipline in writing, and what role does inspiration play?<br /><br />Ideas come only after long periods of intense thinking or being involved with the writing, and once I’ve begun a book, I become obsessed with it. But it’s not as if I write every day. In fact, I find a hundred ways to put it off. When I am writing, the day is divided between the research for it and the writing.<br /><br />Outside of writing, what activities keep you going? What do you do to unwind after a hectic day?<br /><br />I make pots; I walk my dogs; I cook and garden... the usual things.<br /><br />Is it possible for a writer to make a living out of writing alone?<br /><br />If you are very fortunate. It’s always wise to have a Plan B.<br /><br /><br /></p>
