Snigdha Poonam – Journalist and Author June 12, 2018 – Posted in: Authors
Snigdha Poonam is a writer with the Hindustan Times in Delhi. Her work has appeared in the Guardian, the New York Times and Granta. Her article ‘Lady Singham’s Mission Against Love’ was runner-up in the Bodley Head / Financial Times Essay Prize, 2015. Dreamers is her first book.
Q&A:
FC: What are the major themes of your work?
SP: DREAMERS investigates what the aspirations and anxieties of young Indians–more than half of India is under the age of 25– mean for the future of the country and the world. The book follows a set of young men and women in small towns and villages as they chase their dreams of becoming rich, famous and powerful.
FC: What do you think draws people to certain books? What do you look for when selecting what to read?
SP: All of us are looking for answers and most of them can be found in stories. What book I read depends on what I want at that point of time. I can switch from murder mystery to magical realism based on how my day is going.
FC: Do you have any writing rituals? A favourite place, time of day, handwriting or typing?
SP: I am wired to be an office person and can only write between 10 am to 6 pm even if I am at a writers’ retreat in the middle of a forest. I outline the day’s writing in a notebook before I start typing on just any device: mobile phone, tablet, laptop, desktop… I drink large amounts of coffee while doing that.
FC: What are you reading at present?
SP: 2666 by Roberto Bolaño
FC: An author you admire?
SP: I have read every book by Anita Brookner.
FC: If someone were to write your biography, what would be the title?
SP: Long Story Long
FC: What’s the strangest or most interesting job you’ve ever had?
SP: I have a strange and interesting job right now reporting on the state of the nation.