Literature to call our own

“The Bandians of Bhakuraj, true to their ancestral heritage, married not for love but because it happened to be convenient.” Shazaf Fatima Haider in her first novel, “How it happened”, adds humour to a rather forbidden area in our culture: love marriages. At a time when the space for free thinking is increasingly shrinking, a female writer’s novel has paved way for ideas on a taboo subject. An English Literature teacher at The Lyceum School, Haider is one of those few teachers who are considered to be mentors by their students.
Pakistan Today got in touch with the young author and asked her what impelled her to write this wonderfully captivating piece of literature, her favourite characters in the novel, her take on arranged marriages and much more.

For our readers, tell us something about “How it happened”?

Well, it’s a story about a Shia family which has a very set idea about how things should be done, how traditions should be followed and who should marry whom. Dadi is the matriarchal head of this family and she gets her way most of the time through scolding, blackmails and fake faints. She manages to get her grandson married off with relative ease, but her granddaughter is a tougher nut to crack: she wears sleeveless and doesn’t fall for the ‘right’ man. The whole rigmarole of tradition, politics and disorder is explored in How It Happened.
Which school did you go to?

I did my O levels from St Joseph’s Convent, A Levels from Karachi Grammar School and my Masters in English Literature from the University of Karachi. I majored in English but my minors were Philosophy and International Relations.

What impelled you to write “How it happened”?

I think I was especially riled one day because someone’s mother had come to our house and inspected me thoroughly and then said something insensitive and rude – I forget what exactly. And then I called a friend to vent and she told me she had just been asked by a prospective suitor’s mother whether she had an American passport. We both were thoroughly ticked off and I decided to write an article about arranged marriages. But instead, I found myself writing the first three chapters of How It Happened.

In your opinion, what role does religion play in arranged marriages?

It’s the first on the list people tick off when considering a proposal. After that, family background, age and salary come to play. So it’s a make or break factor for many families. Of course, some families don’t really care at all about religion or anything else; they just want a couple to be happy, but these are in a minority.

Which character in “How it happened” is your favourite?

Without a doubt, Dadi. She’s outrageous and hysterically funny – full of drama and love and a force to be reckoned with. I never knew my own grandmother who died in childbirth long before I was born. So in a way Dadi is my way of creating a bond with a woman who exists on the pages of a book, but who is also very real to me. Dadi is the grandmother I never met.

You are a teacher. Did your interaction with students help you in creating the character like Haroon, Zeba and Saleha?

No. In fact, I don’t think about writing at all when I’m teaching and I don’t think about teaching when I’m writing. They’re both passions for me but they have their separate compartments. They take up different energies entirely and I don’t think anything in this book has been inspired by my students or the people I meet at work.

What change would you like to bring into our society by writing “How it happened”?

I never wrote it with a message or change in mind but what I hope is that readers see that tradition, while valuable, is not written in stone. Rules can change and things have to evolve with time and this is essential so that as a society we are more embracing of difference.

What message would you give to the young girls who go through the experience of arrange marriages?

Hold tight, develop thick skin and a sense of humor. Without these, you’ll go mad.

Have you ever attended a writing workshop? If yes,how did it help you?

I did sit through a lecture by Kamila Shamsie at university once. She made us do a few exercises. I read out what I wrote and she rather liked it and asked me whether I wanted to be a writer. I said no, because I had no story to write. That was that. But I think I was fascinated by the way she talked about story telling as this magical and mysterious process that also involved a lot of hard work and discipline. And that must have stayed with me on some level, since I began a novel instead of the magazine article that I had originally intended to write.

Who are your biggest literary influences and why?
‘Influence’ is perhaps too strong a word, but I’ve always enjoyed humor and I love PG Wodehouse’s sarcasm and Harper Lee’s simplicity and structure. I also really admire Charles Dickens for the caricatures he paints. I suppose reading these authors affected, to some extent, the story I eventually wrote but I never had the temerity to consciously model my writing on theirs. They are inimitable.

Describe the place where you write?
I usually am curled up on the edge of a sofa in my living room, listening to the goings-on around me. At other times, I need a change of pace and go to my favorite café with a laptop, order a cup of green tea and go at it on my laptop.

Which books are on
your bucket list?

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Macguire, Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie, The Mother by Maxim Gorky and a biography of Bette Davis.

When can readers expect to find something else on its way, and what can we expect? Another novel? A short story collection? A play, perhaps?

I’m working on another novel, but I think it’s going to be some time before it’s ready . Teaching and other commitments are a serious drain on writing time. But I’m excited because writing a novel is one of the most satisfying things I’ve done. It’s also one of the most frustrating. But I look forward to the journey.