The written word: Young writer, old problems

Kanza Javed’s debut novel deals with self-discovery, political dynamics and intolerance

KARACHI: At 17, I was pretty sure that I wanted to write a novel. My father suggested that perhaps I should start with short stories but for me that was not enough, disclosed author Kanza Javed. “It took me seven years to complete Ashes, Wine and Dust,” she said.

Javed’s book, ‘Ashes, Wine and Dust’, was shortlisted for the Tibor Jones South Asia Prize 2013, earning her accolades for, at the age of 21, being the youngest  and only Pakistani writer nominated that year.

In a conversation held at The Second Floor on Friday, Javed shared her impressions on penning an intense and tragic novel at such early an age. “I had a privileged upbringing, yet it was not that I had not heard about such stories,” she explained. “The domestic help had always been like a second family to me and I had friends whose parents died of cancer well before I even knew how to spell the word,” she recalled.



The novel depicts the journey of a young girl, Mariam, and deals with themes of self-discovery, the changing political dynamics of Lahore, relationships and intolerance, to mention a few. Is her debut autobiographical, as it is popularly assumed? Yes, the first part, Ashes, is centered on her childhood, ‘Wine’ on themes of displacement and ‘Dust’ an insight on contemporary Lahore.

When suggested that the novel has strong female characters, from the protagonist to the supporting characters, Javed explained that, as it is with South Asian writers who project feminist characters, she wanted to bring out the other side. “I wanted to [give] a counter narrative that matriarchy works too,” she said. Referring to the grandmother in book who, despite not being highly educated, was very strong about her identity, Javed said that her characters are ordinary women, who despite not doing something heroic per se, are fighting everyday battles.

Talking about her own avid love of reading from an early age, Javed said that she had been familiar with Marlo, Shakespeare and the likes of the Bronte sisters. “It was after I finished Wine [part of book] that I discovered that I was touching South Asian literature themes. For me this book is all about a woman who was trying to understand what she was,” she explained.



She added that her debut novel is a tribute to her city, Lahore. She said she is familiar with two Lahores, one from the 60s and 70s, when her parents migrated there for employment and better living standards, and the other of today. “I’m quite disappointed in Lahore,” she said, adding that it is not the same as it once was. This was followed by a general agreement from the audience, that this is quite true for all cities of Pakistan, including Karachi.