WE OF THE FORSAKEN WORLD
By Kiran Bhat
Literary Fiction/Metaphysical Fiction
people around the world, sometimes in surprising ways. In his sprawling new
novel, we of the forsaken world, author Kiran Bhat has turned the fact of that
once-unimaginable connectivity into a metaphor for life itself.
of the forsaken world, Bhat follows the fortunes
of 16 people who live in four distinct places on the planet. The gripping
stories include those of a man’s journey to the birthplace of his mother, a
tourist town destroyed by an industrial spill; a chief’s second son born in a
nameless remote tribe, creating a scramble for succession as their jungles are
destroyed by loggers; a homeless, one-armed woman living in a sprawling
metropolis who sets out to take revenge on the men who trafficked her; and a
milkmaid in a small village of shanty shacks connected only by a mud and
concrete road who watches the girls she calls friends destroy her reputation.
networks, the stories in, we of the forsaken world connect along subtle lines, dispersing at the moments
where another story is about to take place. Each story is a parable unto
itself, but the tales also expand to engulf the lives of everyone who lives on
planet Earth, at every second, everywhere.
with their own problems, and exist independently of the fact that they inhabit
the same space. This becomes a parable of globalization, but in a literary
text.”
to imagine a globalism, but one that was bottom-to-top, and using globalism to
imagine new terrains, for the sake of fiction, for the sake of humanity’s
intellectual growth.”
headlines. I think each of these stories is very much its own vignette, and
each of these vignettes gives a lot of insight into human nature, as a whole.”
David Mitchell’s CLOUD ATLAS, a
finalist for the prestigious Man Booker Prize for 2004, and Mohsin Hamid’s EXIT WEST, which was listed by the New
York Times as one of its Best Books of 2017.
visionaries such as Umberto Eco, Haruki Murakami, and Philip K. Dick.
make the great cats bow to feet, now speaks the man who will lock eyes with the
sun. I have found our new land. Take your canoes and follow me. A new time for
our tribe has come.”
a weapon, nor did a single wife open her mouth. The eyes of the eternal shone
not from the skull but from the eyes of our chief’s first son. We believed that
the spirits had bestowed him with our future. He had the eyes of life and death
and life once more.
191)
Interview with the Author
What initially got you interested in writing?
I suppose it started at the age of 17, 2007, when my parents tried to cure me for being gay, and I had to turn to poetry to emotionally survive. I showed this poetry to my classmates and teachers, and they said it was quite good. I grew the courage to write stories, and then as I started traveling, I realized I wanted to write for a global era. So, I continued to travel, continued to write, and continue to creatively evolve.
What genres do you write in?
Literary fiction, largely.
What drew you to writing these specific genres?
Because I’m interested in the psychology of people and representing the time period we live in through the act of literature. So, I don’t know if I believe in genres, but I believe in the work that I have to do, as a writer, to represent globalization in literary terms.
How did you break into the field? I’m still breaking out, so I’ll let you know in a few years, if and when I get to the other side.
What do you want readers to take away from reading your works?
I want my readers feeling that they were fully submerged in a literal world of characters, life and story after they finish my book. They should feel emotionally overwhelmed, but in a good way. They should also feel emboldened to act or think forward.
What do you find most rewarding about writing?
When you have written truly well, and you know that you have done what you were meant to do.
What do you find most challenging about writing?
Getting people to read what you have written, and to care about what you have done.
What advice would you give to people wanting to enter the field?
I don’t think any of us choose to be writers. We simply feel compelled to say something through the act of writing, and we want to be heard. Just work on your craft, perfect what you want to say, and hopefully, the universe will reward you.
What type of books do you enjoy reading? Anything often labeled a classic or has deep psychological or structural interest.
Is there anything else besides writing you think people would find interesting about you? Yes! I’ve been to 132 countries, lived in 18 corners of the world, and speak 12 languages.
What are the best ways to connect with you, or find out more about your work?
You can find me at my Facebook fan page (https://www.facebook.com/Kiran-Bhat-105125697596856/) or through my website (https://kiranbhatweldgeist.com/). Thanks for having me!
Author Bio
Dakshina Kannada, India. An avid world traveler, polyglot, and digital
nomad, he has currently traveled to more than 130 countries, lived in 18
different places, and speaks 12 languages. He currently lives in
Melbourne, Australia.
Website → http://iguanabooks.ca/
