| International Bestselling Author Paulo Coelho is one of the world's most widely read authors today. The Alchemist his most popular book has sold over 65 million copies and holds the Guinness World Record for the book translated in the most languages. In an exclusive article, Coelho shares with us his thoughts on The Creative Process Whether in literature, engineering or information technology - or, indeed, in love - the creative process follows the same pattern: the cycle of nature. Below, I list the various stages of that process. (a) Ploughing the field: as soon as the soil is turned over, oxygen penetrates into places it could not previously reach. The field puts on a new face, the earth that was on top is now underneath and what was underneath has become the surface. This process of internal revolution is crucial because, just as the new face of that field will see the light of the sun for the first time and be dazzled by it, so a reassessment of our own values will allow us to see life with innocent, ingenuous eyes. We will thus be prepared for the miracle of inspiration. A good creator must be constantly turning over his values and must never be contented with anything he thinks he understands. (b) Sowing: every work is the fruit of contact with life. The creative person cannot shut himself away in an ivory tower; he needs to be in touch with his fellow human being and to share his human condition. He cannot know beforehand what things will be important in the future, and so the more intensely he lives his life, the more likely he is to find his own language. Le Corbusier said that 'as long as man kept merely trying to imitate the birds, he got nowhere in his attempts to fly'. The same thing happens with the artist: although he is a translator of emotions, he does not have a complete grasp of the language he is translating, and if he tries to imitate or control inspiration, he will never reach his goal. He must allow life to sow the fertile ground of his unconscious. (c) Ripening: there comes a time when the work writes itself, freely, in the depths of the author's soul, and before the author has even dared to make that work manifest. In the case of literature, for example, the book is influencing the writer and vice versa. It is this moment that Carlos Drummond de Andrade talks about when he says that we should never try to recover the poems that are lost, because they did not deserve to see the light of day. I know people who, during the ripening process, compulsively take notes of everything that is going on in their heads, ignoring what is being written in their unconscious. The result is that the notes - the fruits of memory - get in the way of the fruits of inspiration. The creator must respect the gestation period, even though he knows that, like the farmer, he only has partial control over his field; he is subject to drought and to floods. But, if he knows how to wait, the strongest plant, the one that withstood the elements, will spring strongly into life. (d) Harvest: this is the moment when the creator brings to a conscious level everything that he sowed and allowed to ripen. If picked too early, the fruit is green, if picked too late, the fruit is rotten. Every artist knows that moment; although certain questions remain unresolved and certain ideas are still not crystal clear, they will sort themselves out as the work progresses. He knows he must labour day and night, fearlessly and in a disciplined manner, until the work is complete. And what should one do with the fruits of the harvest? Again we must look to Mother Nature: she shares everything with everyone. An artist who wants to keep his work to himself is not dealing fairly with what he has received from the present moment and with what he inherited and learned from his ancestors. If we leave the grain stored in the granary, it will go rotten, even if we harvested it at the right moment. When the harvest is over, the moment comes when one must share one's soul, without fear and without shame. That, however painful or glorious, is the artist's mission. Paulo Coelho Translated by Margaret Jull Costa Find out more by visiting the official Paulo Coelho website here. | November 2008: The Asian Writer 14th October 2008 Aadiga wins Man Booker Prize 2008  10th-12th October 2008 The SAMA Writers Festival  The Sage Gateshead Mohsin Hamid, Tahmima Anam, Preeta Samarasan and Kamila Shamsie, are some of the writers who took part in this year’s SAMA Writers Festival, held at The Sage Gateshead in Newcastle (10-12 October, 2008) The long weekend included readings, book launches and events as writers across the UK, India, France and Pakistan joined to share their work and celebrate the unique contribution that South Asian writers have made to the literature world. The festival, the first of its kind, organised by the Northern Writers Centre, and the first ever to be held in the region, offered visitors a brilliant mix of emerging voices, such as Nikita Lalwani with prominent voices, such as Nadeem Aslam. More than just a meeting of minds, the festival offered a real insight into the milestones achieved in South Asian writing, and intelligent discussion into its future. Unsurprisingly, Mohsin Hamid’s reading was one of the most popular of the entire festival. He was joined in a panel discussion with Kamila Shamsie and Nadeem Aslam to discuss breakthroughs in Pakistani writing. The Bloodaxe Book of Contemporary Indian Poets, launched at the festival by its editor Jeet Thayil, a ground-breaking anthology of 70 poets from different countries including India. The British Council intercultural event offered a rare insight into changes in writing in India and how theatre has helped to bridge community relations. An anthology of poems Happiness is Something you Look Through was also launched at the festival, and paid tribute to the work of new writing by young people from the SAMA Young Writers Project, with assistance by poet Sundra Lawrence. It was one of the most enjoyable sessions in the festival, and it was delightful to see such talented young stars take to the stage.
Other highlights of the festival included the
distinguished Bengali novelist Amit Chaudhuri and Pankaj Mishra, novelist and
regular contributor to The New York Review of Books, who as a former
editor played a key role in helping to publish authors such as Arundhati Roy.
To see more pictures from the event click here. 
| Book Reviews Corner Shop by Roopa Farooki  Published by Pan MacMillan Out Now £7.99 Fourteen year old Lucky Kahil is passionate about three things: football, Star Wars and Portia, the girl who works in his grandfather's shop. While Lucky pursues his girl , and his dreams of one day scoring for England, his mother Delphine fantasises about reliving her youth. Rekindling an affair with her father in law Zaki is however, only going to end in disaster... Zaki is a dreamer. One who wants an unfettered life, free from moral obligations, family ties and mundane existence of his corner shop. His affair with Delphine is the perfect chance to make a break for freedom. As they move closer to their dreams, do they all risk losing sight of what's really important? Farooki is a compassionate storyteller, who once again, manages to combine family life, with personal ambition, issues of betrayal, and disillusionment with life itself, in a light hearted, witty way. Read Roopa Farooki's interview here. The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama  Published by Abacus Out Now £7.99 Mrs Ali is finding life with Mr Ali impossible. Now he is retired he is only meddling in her routine and disturbing her. The answer to keep him busy? A marriage bureau. Soon Mr Ali, from Vizag sees his new business flourish as the indomitable Mrs Ali and able assistant Aruna look on with careful eyes. But although many clients go away, problems lurk behind the scenes as Aruna nurses a heart rending secret; while Mr Ali cannot see that he rarely follows the sage advice he freely offers to others. And when love comes calling for Aruna, an impossible dilemma looms... This is a beautiful story, with a big heart, in its simplicity there is alot of wisdom, and wonderful insight into modern, ever changing India. The Marriage Bureau for Rich People has been selected for the Richard and Judy New Writers Book Club and will air this month. Read an interview with Farahad Zama here. |
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