Maniza Naqvi is the author of On Air and Mass Transit. She was born in Pakistan and has been living in the US since 1990. Besides working at the World Bank she is also finishing her third novel and has already started writing the fourth one. We talked to Ms. Naqvi about her writing and what it has meant for her.
(Interviewer's note: The following interview was conducted through e-mail exachanges.)
I read somewhere that you were born in Lahore but you consider Karachi your city. At what age did you move to Karachi?
I moved to Karachi at the age of 26 and, in hindsight now, perhaps my view of it was exactly that of a stranger or a foreigner who falls in love with a place upon arrival and then proceeds to understand the place and its residents in depth without taking things for granted. Since nothing about it was known to me since birth I viewed it and understood it on its own terms and was absolutely enchanted by its every aspect. I explored it from end to end and was not confined to one part of it. I had no area affiliations or inhibitions, it was all very new and fabulous every where I went. My relationship to Karachi was as an independent working adult and so I made my way through it on my own terms every day. I have chemistry with the city, it suits me, I feel very much in tune with it and treat it as though it has a personality. And it does, its very "challo", its very ambitious, and very fast paced and has a rhythm to it. I think every city has that, I feel that with a deeper intensity for Karachi. Lahore, is very special to me, I don't think of it as a city, I mean that's not what it was for me, at the age I live there, it was and remains a series of well known and welcoming homes and drawing rooms. Of course Lahore has its gorgeous tree lined Mall Road and avenues, beautiful parks and the enchanting old city, but for me it is the inner spaces I mentioned of homes. Karachi is the city in which I interacted and functioned outside, in its offices, in its traffic, in its factories etc.
What was your childhood like? Do you have brothers and sisters? Did your parents encourage you to get an education?
I had a wonderful childhood, which was spent in rural Pakistan, on the banks of the Indus and the Jhelum and in the foothills of the Himalayas with a diverse community of friends from all over the world because my childhood was spent at big irrigation projects where international contractors were involved in the construction. Like most Pakistani parents mine wanted the best education for all their children and were fortunate enough to be able to provide that for us. We were encouraged, my brother, my sister and I to learn whatever we wanted to. Curiosity was key and my parents instilled that in all of us. We had long discussions over tea and dinner every day and read newspapers from cover to cover.
I read that you attended Kinnaird for a short while and then came to the United States to complete a business degree. What do you feel are some of the major differences between college life in Pakistan and in the United States?
Chaudry Sahib's Tuckshop at Kinnaird had the best tea and somosas. Simply couldn't be matched in the US. I didn't enjoy my one year of education at Kinnaird, since it was too rigid and lecture driven, perhaps I took the wrong classes. I did enjoy the friendship I had there, some of the most wonderful women I have ever had the privilege to meet were at Kinnaird when I was there. I learned a lot about the humanities from them over tea and somosas and long hours in the winter sunshine on the big front lawn. Education in the States, allows a greater opportunity for exploring and expressing curiosity.
When did you first start writing?
I think I always wrote. I started writing my first novel in 1983 and finished it around 1999.
Before you wrote your first novel, Mass Transit, had you published any other work such as short stories or any articles?
No.
Can you tell us a little bit about Mass Transit? How did you get the inspiration to write it?
I was obsessed with mapping the political history of Pakistan in a personal way and felt it would all slip away if I didn't express it in the form of a novel. Karachi represented to me the essence of all that was right with Pakistan and all that could go wrong. It is the main character or protagonist in Mass Transit.
Tell us about the experience of getting your first novel published? Was it difficult?
It was very difficult, until Oxford University Press(OUP) in Karachi loved it. It was the first novel that they published. The experience was wonderful. I was over the moon. I am eternally grateful to the wonderful editors at OUP.
What were some of the difficulties which you faced before Oxford University Press decided to publish it?
The main difficulty I faced was remaining confident and having faith in myself with each successive rejection. That's the worst thing for anyone who writes.
Your novel, On Air, is about a woman's who gets a chance to host a radio talk show, an experience which leads her to reflect upon her life. How did you get the idea for this story?
The novel is about experiences of joy, hurts, shame and grief that people carry within themselves and which they find difficult to articulate and which they pass on through generations. I use the metaphor of a late night radio talk show as a metaphor for many things, for modernity, the sub conscience, for invisibility, for isolation, for restlessness, for community and for the deep connection between all people.
Do you ever write in Urdu? Have any of your English works been translated into Urdu?
No, I don't write in Urdu. I would love to have someone translate Mass Transit, On Air and the other stories I've written into Urdu.
Are there any authors who you consider your mentors? Which authors have you really enjoyed reading?
I consider Noam Chomsky as my mentor. The authors I enjoy reading are so diverse that this would be a very long answer.
You currently work for the World Bank. What does your work there involve? Do you travel often for your work?
My work is in the area of poverty reduction in post conflict countries through programs which support a greater participation of citizens in policy making and public financing decisions; demobilization of militaries and labor markets and employment.
Does your experience of working at the World Bank have any affect on your writing?
My work experience is a great source of professional satisfaction for me and I appreciate it more and more each day.
When was the last time you were in Pakistan?
I am in Pakistan as often as I can manage. I'll be there at the end of the year again.
Are there any autobiographical elements in your novels or are they purely fictional, derived from your imagination? Do you ever base any of your characters on real-life individuals you've known?
I think everything that an individual writes or creates whether it is in writing or any other form of art is autobiographical to some extent. Have I been a radio talk show host? No. Do I understand and feel for all my characters? Yes.
What are you working on these days? What are your future plans?
I'm still refining my third novel, which is called Stay with Me. I have contributed short stories for two forthcoming anthologies, one which is compiled by Bapsi Sidwa and should be published in 2004 and another by Fawzia Afzal which should also be published in late 2004. I've started on a fourth novel which I hope will be satirical and for now is called That Sara Aziz!
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