Crime fiction — Murder between the lines
Writers talk explain they want their readers to decide the resolution of their mysteries
AJK President Masood Khan speaks, while AG Noorani and Riaz H Khokhar listen during a session moderated by Haris Khalique at ILF. PHOTO: INP
ISLAMABAD:
In a country where crime, more often than not, dominates the headlines and the truth being definitely stranger than fiction it is but natural that some of these stories make it into books.
This was the primary reason, explained senior police official Omar Shahid Hamid, for writing three crime fiction novels.
On the last day of the fifth Islamabad Literature Festival, Hamid and Sabyn Javeri discussed the art of writing crime fiction and their creative journey.
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Hamid, who is currently deputed in Karachi, said that he had a lot of interesting stories to tell.
Javeri, who belongs to a more literary tradition of female writers, said she preferred the term political fiction over crime fiction. Something which was echoed by Hamid as well.
Asked why their mysteries remain unsolved and questions unanswered, something which mirrors a lot of real life crime in Pakistan as well, the two authors said they try to engage the readers and leave it up to them to decide.
“A writer’s job is not to provide answers but to ask questions,” explained Javeri, whose novel ‘Nobody Killed Her’ was launched earlier this year.
Talking about her book, she said that it was not about one particular personality. Rather, she had crafted her story by piecing together details about women leaders in many different countries of the region.
To a question whether being a police officer had benefitted or influenced his work, Hamid said each of his three books was based on themes or stories which he had come across during the course of his professional career.
“There is an overload of information,” Hamid said. However, he did admit that all of that available information did not make it to his books either – reflecting a common complaint with news reporting on crime in the country as well.
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“[There is] a lot watering-down of the content I receive,” he added.
Asked whether he drew any inspiration from the Urdu crime fiction novelist Ibne Safi or even the litany of vernacular digests, Hamid quipped that his ability to read Urdu was limited to police FIRs, a veiled suggestion of what separates his work.
Hamid later read out a passage from his latest book, The Party Worker.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 17th, 2017.
In a country where crime, more often than not, dominates the headlines and the truth being definitely stranger than fiction it is but natural that some of these stories make it into books.
This was the primary reason, explained senior police official Omar Shahid Hamid, for writing three crime fiction novels.
On the last day of the fifth Islamabad Literature Festival, Hamid and Sabyn Javeri discussed the art of writing crime fiction and their creative journey.
Lahore gears up for fifth episode of literary festival
Hamid, who is currently deputed in Karachi, said that he had a lot of interesting stories to tell.
Javeri, who belongs to a more literary tradition of female writers, said she preferred the term political fiction over crime fiction. Something which was echoed by Hamid as well.
Asked why their mysteries remain unsolved and questions unanswered, something which mirrors a lot of real life crime in Pakistan as well, the two authors said they try to engage the readers and leave it up to them to decide.
“A writer’s job is not to provide answers but to ask questions,” explained Javeri, whose novel ‘Nobody Killed Her’ was launched earlier this year.
Talking about her book, she said that it was not about one particular personality. Rather, she had crafted her story by piecing together details about women leaders in many different countries of the region.
To a question whether being a police officer had benefitted or influenced his work, Hamid said each of his three books was based on themes or stories which he had come across during the course of his professional career.
“There is an overload of information,” Hamid said. However, he did admit that all of that available information did not make it to his books either – reflecting a common complaint with news reporting on crime in the country as well.
Children’s Literature Festival: ‘Promoting literature will help set up vibrant society’
“[There is] a lot watering-down of the content I receive,” he added.
Asked whether he drew any inspiration from the Urdu crime fiction novelist Ibne Safi or even the litany of vernacular digests, Hamid quipped that his ability to read Urdu was limited to police FIRs, a veiled suggestion of what separates his work.
Hamid later read out a passage from his latest book, The Party Worker.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 17th, 2017.