A not-so-reluctant novelist

The Forman Christian (FC) College History and English departments arranged a reading and discussion with renowned Pakistani writer, Mohsin Hamid, the author of two best-selling novels, ‘Moth Smoke’ and ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’.
Hamid read parts from both his novels for about twenty minutes to a packed audience of about two hundred students and faculty from FC College, Punjab University, Lahore College for Women and Kinnaird College.
The reading was followed by almost an hour of questions and discussion which brought out several important themes and ideas which underlie Hamid’s work.
Answering a question about the creative process, Hamid said at times the characters seem to take control of a story, and the author has to change his initial ideas about the book. “The original idea and the final novel are rarely the same,” Hamid said. In response to a question about a sequel to ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’, Mohsin Hamid said: “You, the audience, are the sequel.” He argued that the author’s task is to ignite the creative person in the reader, so that they can internalise and contemplate on the issues raised in the novel.
Talking about his future plans, Hamid revealed that he has just completed the first draft of a new novel which should be in print early next year. In the meantime, the film version of ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’, directed by Mira Nair and starring Kate Hudson and Kiefer Sutherland is at the editing stage and is due to be released next year.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Yaqoob Khan Bangash from the History Department highlighted the multifaceted nature of the novel. He said: “The novel is not just a literary endeavour. It is a political, social, and cultural act, and so has relevance and implications for people in several ways.” FC College Dean of Humanities Dr Waseem Anwar thanked the author and said: “Mohsin’s presence at FC has made a remarkable difference in terms of the common goal of all academic institutions that is to promote good readership along with good authorship, locally as well as locally.”