Criticpsace: Welcome to Criticspace Journals, Tridib. First of all, I would like to congratulate you for the release of your book “S.O.U.L”. The book is being loved by all; how do you enjoy this success?
Tridib Ghosh: Thank you so much! This is my first book. As any new author I was having butterflies in my stomach. I am really humble that so many people loved it. I feel I am in cloud nine.
Criticpsace: So far you have been receiving good response from the readers and book critics. How does it feel for an author to have such positive response on his/ her book?
Tridib Ghosh: It feels divine. There are some instances when some readers called up and expressed their feelings towards the book. One couple called up and cried over phone. They felt that one of my stories was very close to their own life. I do not have any words to express my gratitude towards them.
Criticpsace: I would love to know if you could describe your journey as a writer so far. How you started writing and from there, journey till today?
Tridib Ghosh: Oh don’t ask me that… ha ha… It took two and a half years to complete the book. The journey was a roller coaster ride. There were so many stories that came in my mind and died their natural death. I had self-doubts and fear if it would be prudent to publish the book at all. But there were people who had the belief that I should get it published. They cried, giggled, got shocked and surprised and their expression gave me the courage that the book is worth publishing. But again, the original idea was to publish it as a graphic novel, however, I chucked the idea and only kept some illustrations. BTW the illustrations are also done by yours truly.
Criticpsace: As a reader, which type of books you like? Tell us something about your interest areas in literature.
Tridib Ghosh: Well.. I read any types of book. Fiction, non-fiction, graphic novel, motivational, mythological, business, cultural – almost anything and everything. I read a lot. But I have a fascination for graphic novels. I love literature where the content is more important than literary jargons. That doesn’t mean I only love simple readings. However, I believe any literary work should touch the right chord with it’s reader. That’s the success of the work.
Criticpsace: As many people from literary circles have noticed a change in the literary practice of the day, do you also notice a change, Tridib? Do you feel that the profession of writing has changed its course with the times?
Tridib Ghosh: Oh yeah… absolutely. There are actually few takers to thick novels nowadays. Whether it is fiction or non-fiction, people prefer to read thinner ones. We are living in the age of Netflix and Amazon Prime like OTT channels. People’s attention span is also reducing. The type of literature that they enjoy which they want to feel in front of them like a movie set. Easy language is getting priority over complicated tongue twisters. But that’s the mass. Still hardcore literature lovers prefer language with depth. In the last few years I have researched and seen a gradual rise of self-published authors and that doesn’t mean their writings are ordinary or below par. They do not want to go through the complex route of bigger publication houses and the long wait period. I am sure the new decade will see a steep rise of this clan.
Criticspace: How did you decided the title, “S.O.U.L (Stories of Ur Life): Nothing is as simple as it looks”. Please define it in your words.
Tridib Ghosh: We live life in fragments and moments. Every moment is curious to tell a story. I have tried to capture such moments and weave stories around them with a hope that they will touch people’s lives. I tried to structure my stories on human emotions of love, happiness, grief, heartbreak, fights, duties, failure, anxiety and achievements. The book is a collection of twelve soulful stories born out of moments that you and I have lived. However, I have tried to narrate them with some imaginative twists in the tales. The figment of imaginations make one wonder are they really as simple as they look?
Criticpsace: Are you currently working on other projects as well? Please let your readers know about the same and how it will be.
Tridib Ghosh: Well yes. Two books are on the pipeline… One non-fiction and one fiction. The Love that people have showered on my first book has made me think, can a S.O.U.L part II make an appearance? The non-fictional one is a top secret as of now. Will reveal soon.
Criticpsace: As I felt, the book is one of the best short story collections ever I have read. This seems to be real as well. It will be great if you can tell us the inspiration behind writing these stories.
Tridib Ghosh: Inspiration is our every day life. Our ups and downs. Our aspirations, success, failure, fear, duties an so on. End of the day, life is real but our imagination is fictional. Isn’t it? Many stories are inspired by true stories and I have taken it as base and woven the fictional part on top of it.
Criticpsace: Many writers and readers will come across this interview. What advice would you like to offer to them who are new to book writing?
Tridib Ghosh: Just write. Let your imagination flow. Let your stories get heard. Don’t fear if you would get praises or brickbats. End of the day it is your stories. It is closer to your heart. Don’t struggle to use verbose jargons and complicated sentences to show your literary depth, in the process you will lose your own self, your own stories. However, keep a keen eye that your book is free from grammatical error. To many readers it is a big downer. Get it properly proof read.
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