Farah Ghuznavi is a Bangladeshi writer and the author of Fragments of Riversong, a collection of short stories. Her writings have appeared in publications in the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, India, Nepal, Singapore and Bangladesh, and she was Writer in Residence with Commonwealth Writers Website in 2013. She studied development economics and NGO management at the London School of Economics, and has since then worked for Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and the United Nations, besides others. Her development work has touched on issues like political participation, microcredit loans for the poor, adult education for women and human rights. Whether short stories or newspaper columns, Ghuznavi writes about people and issues closest to her heart; topics that are not widely represented, or talked about. In this interview, Fehmida Zakeer talks to Farah Ghuznavi about her work, and writing in general.
Fehmida Zakeer (FZ): How would you describe the present state of writing in Southasia? Do you find that the writings from different countries in the region share similar concerns?
Farah Ghuznavi (FG): It seems to be an exceptionally exciting time for English-language writing in Southasia. Indian writers have long been producing interesting work, and in recent years, Pakistan has seen the arrival of writers like Daniyal Mueenuddin, Mohsin Hamid and Kamila Shamsie. Now, alongside the likes of Manjushree Thapa from Nepal and Shyam Selvadurai of Sri Lanka, we are seeing the emergence of a new crop of writers from Bangladesh. So much so, that it feels as though we have reached a critical mass, a takeoff point of sorts. And as an optimist, I believe that there are more good things to come.