एक उपन्यासकार का सार यह है कि वह एक ही समय में कल्पना की चीजें गढ़े और सच भी बयान करे।
The essence of a novelist is to invent things and speak the truth, at the same time.
The essence of a novelist is to invent things and speak the truth, at the same time.
मैं इस बात में दिलचस्पी रखता हूँ कि कैसे यादें और सत्ता मिलकर बुराई का रूप लेते हैं। ये मेरे ऐसे जुनून हैं जो संगीत की तरह मेरी हर रचना में दिखाई देते हैं। मैं जानता हूँ कि किसी न किसी मोड़ पर मेरा कोई न कोई जुनून सामने आ ही जाएगा। आप अंदाज़ा नहीं लगा सकते कि इस लेखन की बदौलत मैं अपनी कितनी मनोचिकित्सक की फीस बचा लेता हूँ!
I'm interested in how memory and power come together in evil. These are obsessions of mine that appear throughout, like the theme of music. I know at some point or another one of my obsessions will emerge. You don't know how much I save in psychiatrist bills with this writing!
I'm interested in how memory and power come together in evil. These are obsessions of mine that appear throughout, like the theme of music. I know at some point or another one of my obsessions will emerge. You don't know how much I save in psychiatrist bills with this writing!
मुझे लगता है कि वास्तविक जीवन में भी यही सच है—हम कभी भी किसी को पूरी तरह नहीं जान पाते। एक ऐसी कथा रचना तैयार करने के लिए जो विश्वसनीय लगे, रहस्य बहुत महत्वपूर्ण हैं। पात्र उस दुनिया में रहस्यों के साथ प्रवेश करते हैं, जैसा कि हम सभी के साथ होता है। हम अपने रिश्तों में चाहे जितनी भी ईमानदारी बरतने की कोशिश करें, हम कभी भी किसी को पूरी तरह नहीं जान सकते। कथा के दृष्टिकोण से यह बहुत महत्वपूर्ण और सुखद है—आप चाहते हैं कि वे रहस्य वहां मौजूद रहें। उपन्यास के सृजन में रहस्य एक अनिवार्य हिस्सा है।
I think that's true of real life - we don't ever know anyone completely. Secrets are very important to creating a narrative work that's believable. The characters come into that world with secrets, as happens to all of us. As honest as we try to be in our relationships, we can never completely know someone. From a narrative perspective it's very important and pleasing - you want to have those secrets there. The secret is an essential part of the creation of the novel.
I think that's true of real life - we don't ever know anyone completely. Secrets are very important to creating a narrative work that's believable. The characters come into that world with secrets, as happens to all of us. As honest as we try to be in our relationships, we can never completely know someone. From a narrative perspective it's very important and pleasing - you want to have those secrets there. The secret is an essential part of the creation of the novel.
आप जैसे ब्रिटिश नागरिक के लिए यह बात थोड़ी अजीब लग सकती है। भला किसी भाषा पर कैसे प्रतिबंध लगाया जा सकता है? लेकिन सच तो यह है कि ऐसा किया जा सकता है। तानाशाही के दौर में कैटलन भाषा बोलना गैरकानूनी था। यह एक ऐसा अनुभव है जिससे हम सभी कैटलन लोगों को कम या ज्यादा गुजरना पड़ा है। कुछ लोगों के लिए स्थिति ज्यादा तनावपूर्ण थी, कुछ के लिए कम, लेकिन यह एक ऐसा दर्द है जिसे हम सब साझा करते हैं।
For someone like you who's a British citizen this might seem strange. How can you ban a language? It turns out that you can. During the dictatorship it was illegal to speak Catalan. This is an experience that we Catalans have all had to varying extents. Some more tense than others, but it's something we all share.
For someone like you who's a British citizen this might seem strange. How can you ban a language? It turns out that you can. During the dictatorship it was illegal to speak Catalan. This is an experience that we Catalans have all had to varying extents. Some more tense than others, but it's something we all share.
इस दुनिया में हर साल, कई भाषाएं विलुप्त हो जाती हैं। कुछ ऐसी भाषाएं हैं जिनका अस्तित्व आने वाले कई सालों तक सुरक्षित है, जैसे अंग्रेजी, लेकिन कुछ अन्य भाषाएं ऐसी हैं जिनके बचने की कोई गारंटी नहीं है, जैसे कि कैटलन, खासकर तब जब उनके पास अपनी रक्षा करने वाला कोई राज्य (देश) न हो। कैटलन भाषा कैटेलोनिया, वालेंसिया, बैलेरिक द्वीप समूह और अंडोरा में बोली जाती है। लगभग एक करोड़ लोग इसे समझते हैं और साढ़े आठ करोड़ लोग इसे बोल सकते हैं। लेकिन इसका भविष्य डेनिश, स्लोवेनिय या लातवियाई जैसी भाषाओं जितना निश्चित नहीं है, क्योंकि उन भाषाओं के पास अपने देश हैं।
Each year, in this world, several languages do die out. There are certain languages that have their survival assured for many years, such as English, but there are other languages whose survival is not so sure, such as Catalan, especially if they don't have a state that protects them. Catalan is spoken in Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearic Islands, and Andorra. There are about ten million people who understand it and eight and a half who can speak it. But its future is much less certain than, for example, Danish or Slovenian or Latvian, because they have a state.
Each year, in this world, several languages do die out. There are certain languages that have their survival assured for many years, such as English, but there are other languages whose survival is not so sure, such as Catalan, especially if they don't have a state that protects them. Catalan is spoken in Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearic Islands, and Andorra. There are about ten million people who understand it and eight and a half who can speak it. But its future is much less certain than, for example, Danish or Slovenian or Latvian, because they have a state.
मैं हमेशा पढ़ता रहता हूँ, और पढ़ने से बहुत कुछ सीखने को मिलता है। जब मैं पच्चीस साल का था, तब मैं बहुत पढ़ता था, लेकिन तब मेरे पीछे पढ़ने का ज्यादा अनुभव नहीं था।
I'm always reading, and you learn a lot by reading. When I was twenty-five, I read a lot, but didn't have much reading behind me.
I'm always reading, and you learn a lot by reading. When I was twenty-five, I read a lot, but didn't have much reading behind me.
पाठक के पास पात्रों के बारे में ऐसी जानकारियां होती हैं जो खुद उन पात्रों के पास नहीं होतीं। हम सभी के जीवन का एक गुप्त पहलू होता है। यहाँ तक कि मुझे भी पात्रों के बारे में बातें लेखन की प्रक्रिया के दौरान ही, जैसे-जैसे मैं आगे बढ़ता हूँ, समझ में आती हैं।
The reader has information about the characters that the characters themselves don't have. We all have our secret sides. Even I come to understand things about the characters only through the writing process, as I am going along.
The reader has information about the characters that the characters themselves don't have. We all have our secret sides. Even I come to understand things about the characters only through the writing process, as I am going along.
शोध करना जरूरी है। हालांकि, आपको यह सुनिश्चित करना होगा कि आप इसके जाल में न फंस जाएं। आपके पास लिखने के लिए भी समय बचना चाहिए। इस जाल से बचने के लिए, मैं खुद को सीधे खाई में झोंक देता हूँ, साथ ही इस बात से भी वाकिफ रहता हूँ कि अगर मैं ऐसी जानकारी से जूझ रहा हूँ जिसके बारे में मुझे पर्याप्त पता नहीं है, तो मुझे किसी के पास जाकर उस पर चर्चा करनी चाहिए।
Research is necessary. However, you need to make sure you don't fall into its trap. You need to have time left for writing. To avoid the trap, I just throw myself into the abyss while at the same time being aware that if I'm dealing with information I don't know enough about, I have to go to someone and talk about it.
Research is necessary. However, you need to make sure you don't fall into its trap. You need to have time left for writing. To avoid the trap, I just throw myself into the abyss while at the same time being aware that if I'm dealing with information I don't know enough about, I have to go to someone and talk about it.
सफर के दौरान, कुछ खास चीजों के बारे में आपको एहसास होता है, "मुझे इसके बारे में कुछ नहीं पता।" आपको लगता है, "क्या यह बेतुका लगेगा?" इसलिए मैंने इस किताब को लिखते समय सौ से ज्यादा अलग-अलग लोगों को परेशान किया। और जब किताब पूरी हो गई तो मैंने इसे छह-सात ऐसे पाठकों को पढ़ने के लिए दिया जिन पर मैं हमेशा से भरोसा करता हूँ, वे हर बार वही लोग होते हैं; इसके अलावा मैंने इसे अपने एक डॉक्टर भाई को भी पढ़ने को कहा और उनसे अनुरोध किया, और उन्होंने बहुत मदद की। भरोसेमंद पाठकों का एक समूह होना अच्छी बात है। जैसे-जैसे मेरे बच्चे बड़े हुए हैं, वे भी इस समूह में शामिल हो गए हैं।
Along the way, about certain things, you realize, "I don't know anything about this." You think, "Is this going to sound ridiculous?" So I pestered more than a hundred different people over the course of the book. And when I finished the book I gave it to six or seven trusted readers, who are always the same, but I also gave it to a brother of mine who's a doctor and I asked him to read it, and he was very helpful. It's good to have a group of trusted readers. As my kids have grown up, they've joined this group.
Along the way, about certain things, you realize, "I don't know anything about this." You think, "Is this going to sound ridiculous?" So I pestered more than a hundred different people over the course of the book. And when I finished the book I gave it to six or seven trusted readers, who are always the same, but I also gave it to a brother of mine who's a doctor and I asked him to read it, and he was very helpful. It's good to have a group of trusted readers. As my kids have grown up, they've joined this group.
मैं अपने सभी पात्रों को बहुत गंभीरता से लेता हूँ—चाहे वे मुख्य पात्र हों, छोटे या सहायक पात्र हों। भले ही वे केवल एक बार ही सामने आएं, फिर भी उनका अपना एक अलग जीवन होना चाहिए। कुछ पात्र शाब्दिक रूप से अनुपस्थित होते हैं लेकिन साथ ही बहुत, बहुत अधिक मौजूद रहते हैं।
I take all my characters very seriously - the main, secondary, and supporting characters. Even if they only appear once, they still need to have their own life. Some characters are absent literally but at the same time very, very present.
I take all my characters very seriously - the main, secondary, and supporting characters. Even if they only appear once, they still need to have their own life. Some characters are absent literally but at the same time very, very present.
मेरे माता-पिता के घर में बहुत सारी किताबें थीं। हम पांच भाई-बहन हैं और हम सभी पढ़ने के शौकीन थे। इसलिए जब तक मैंने घर छोड़ा, मैं बहुत सारी किताबें पढ़ चुका था, और मुझे और अधिक पढ़ने में बहुत दिलचस्पी थी। तभी मेरे मन में लिखने की इच्छा जागृत हुई। लेकिन यह स्वर्ग से स्वर्गदूतों और देवदूतों के किसी दिव्य दर्शन जैसा नहीं था। कम से कम मेरे लिए तो बिल्कुल नहीं।
There were many books in my parents' home. I'm from a family of five children and we were all readers. And so by the time I left home, I had already read many books, and I was very interested in reading more. That was when I started to have the desire to write. But it wasn't like a divine apparition with angels and seraphins on high. Not for me, at least.
There were many books in my parents' home. I'm from a family of five children and we were all readers. And so by the time I left home, I had already read many books, and I was very interested in reading more. That was when I started to have the desire to write. But it wasn't like a divine apparition with angels and seraphins on high. Not for me, at least.
मैं बहुत कविता पढ़ता हूँ। हर तरह की कविता, लेकिन ज्यादातर कैटलन कविता, क्योंकि मेरा मानना है कि कविता ही किसी भाषा का सार होती है। क्लासिक रचनाओं को पढ़ना, चाहे वे मध्यकालीन हों या समकालीन, मुझे एक ऐसी शैलीगत ऊर्जा देता है जिसमें मेरी बहुत गहरी रुचि है।
I read a lot of poetry. All types of poetry, but mostly Catalan poetry, because I believe poetry is the essence of language. Reading the classics, be they medieval or contemporary, gives me a stylistic energy that I'm very interested in.
I read a lot of poetry. All types of poetry, but mostly Catalan poetry, because I believe poetry is the essence of language. Reading the classics, be they medieval or contemporary, gives me a stylistic energy that I'm very interested in.
मैं बस यही कोशिश करता हूँ कि मेरे पात्र बिल्कुल असली इंसान लगें ताकि पाठक उन्हें वास्तविक इंसानों की तरह ही महसूस करें—यह एक ऐसा काम है जिस पर मैंने अपनी पूरी जिंदगी मेहनत की है। तकनीकी कारणों से मैं यह उपन्यास अपनी बीस या तीस की उम्र में नहीं लिख सकता था—तब मेरे पास वह तकनीक नहीं थी—लेकिन सबसे बढ़कर इसलिए क्योंकि तब मेरे पास वे जीवन अनुभव नहीं थे जो आज मेरे पास सड़सठ साल की उम्र में हैं।
What I strive to do is make my characters seem like real people so that the reader experiences them as people - that's something I've been working on all of my life. I couldn't have written this novel at twenty or thirty, for technical reasons - I didn't have the technique then - but above all because I didn't have the life experiences I have now at sixty-seven.
What I strive to do is make my characters seem like real people so that the reader experiences them as people - that's something I've been working on all of my life. I couldn't have written this novel at twenty or thirty, for technical reasons - I didn't have the technique then - but above all because I didn't have the life experiences I have now at sixty-seven.
आप कहीं भी जाएं, आपको ऐसे पाठक मिल जाएंगे जो रुचि रखते हैं, भले ही कहानी यहीं इसी मोहल्ले में क्यों न घटित हो रही हो। इससे कोई फर्क नहीं पड़ता कि कहानी स्थानीय स्तर पर आधारित है या नहीं, बशर्ते उसे सार्वभौमिक (universal) बनाने का इरादा मन में हो। मैं हमेशा यही करने की कोशिश करता हूँ।
Everywhere you go you find readers who are interested, even though the story takes place here in this very neighborhood. It doesn't matter that it takes place locally if the intention to make it universal is there. That's what I strive to do.
Everywhere you go you find readers who are interested, even though the story takes place here in this very neighborhood. It doesn't matter that it takes place locally if the intention to make it universal is there. That's what I strive to do.