Ask the Author: Samir Satam
Answered Questions (7)
Samir Satam
The idea behind my most recent book 'Litost: Sliced Stories' comes from a state of mind we all find ourselves in, at some point or another. All the stories in this book portray the state of being in various degrees of litost. Though the stories are different in terms of plot and setting, the mood of litost is common throughout the book.
I first came across this word 'litost' in Milan Kundera's beautiful book 'The Book of Laughter and Forgetting'. It immediately peaked my curiosity to think that there is a word in Czech for a mix of emotions felt around the world. Yet, there is no specific word for it in any other language!
I first came across this word 'litost' in Milan Kundera's beautiful book 'The Book of Laughter and Forgetting'. It immediately peaked my curiosity to think that there is a word in Czech for a mix of emotions felt around the world. Yet, there is no specific word for it in any other language!
Samir Satam
I would definitely go to 'The Republic of Gilead' in 'The Handmaid's Tale' and work as a spy for the Resistance movement against the totalitarian state.
Samir Satam
As usual, her voice floated in from the kitchen, asking him to help her chop onions. He froze, remembering ways in which he had chopped and buried her with his own hands!
Samir Satam
Deep down for me, the best thing about being a poet is spending my time wrestling with words instead of wrestling with conflicting interests of people. Though you have to deal with the later too at some point or another.
However keeping that laziness to deal with people aside, the writing process in itself is so rewarding that it makes up for other practical drawbacks that it brings along.
When you write, you tend to chew on a thought for longer and derive more out of little things in life. It sharpens your abilities to think, introspect and empathize with others. I think those are some of the best things that writing has done for me.
However keeping that laziness to deal with people aside, the writing process in itself is so rewarding that it makes up for other practical drawbacks that it brings along.
When you write, you tend to chew on a thought for longer and derive more out of little things in life. It sharpens your abilities to think, introspect and empathize with others. I think those are some of the best things that writing has done for me.
Samir Satam
Just like in love, it is always the little things that are big in a poet's relationship with his / her poems too. Anything in vicinity or within ourselves can be a source of inspiration.
The most fundamental quality that helps broaden horizons as a poet is a heightened sense of empathy. Thinking and feeling from other person's point of view changes the way I perceive any topic. This can lead to interesting introspective debates and those can give a lot of fodder to think over and thus to write.
The most fundamental quality that helps broaden horizons as a poet is a heightened sense of empathy. Thinking and feeling from other person's point of view changes the way I perceive any topic. This can lead to interesting introspective debates and those can give a lot of fodder to think over and thus to write.
Samir Satam
Normally I try to ask myself what chain of thought or events is stopping me from thinking clearly. In my lowest moments, I don’t stop taking notes. It is wonderful how those same words that look dead at one point can inspire you to write when your mind is free again. Sometimes when I have started writing in prose and get stuck at a point, I stop writing and approach the subject from the conclusion that I want to reach to and let my thoughts work backwards. It helps in getting a fresh perspective to the same scenario I was writing about. The most interesting thing you can do is when you are facing a serious wall of a writer’s block, stop everything and start writing about the thoughts that are blocking your mind. If your mind has gone blank, you can end up with an interesting write-up on your own state of mind at that point. It can be used later for a character in a story and at the least, it will help you to deal with yourself.
Samir Satam
I am working on my next poetry book, a biography of a well renowned singer (details of which I am not free to disclose) and a compilation of my short stories.
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