“I’m very comfortable around people who are homesick but not sure where home is.” Avni Doshi on the impact of culture, motherhood and identity on her creative writing process, and the UAE’s nascent literary ecosystem.

The Lighthouse Conversations with Hashem Montasser

Hashem catches up with Avni Doshi, author of ‘Burnt Sugar’, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize. In her book, Avni explores the themes of identity, culture and motherhood. The heartfelt discussion captures the poignant moments of personal growth that permeate her narrative, now seen through the lens of maternal experience, where vulnerability and understanding intertwine. Their conversion navigates Avni’s love of astrology, her artistic doubts, and the prospect of her book hitting the big screen.

Links

• Nadia Wassef on narrative structure, trafficking in nostalgia and life after publishing a debut memoir.
• Yasmina Jraissati on unlocking the potential of the Arabic language and how she accidentally became a rebel with a cause.

00:00 Coming up

02:21 Character development

07:56 Anticipating success

08:53 The role of the mother in India

11:26 From child to caretaker

15:42 Moving to India

18:40 Harper’s Bazaar India comes knocking

20:55 Homesick but not sure where home is

22:18 Girl in White Cotton

24:35 First publication by Harper Collins India

25:35 Second publication by Penguin’s Hamish Hamilton in the UK

26:29 ‘Girl in White Cotton’ becomes ‘Burnt Sugar’

28:46 Booker’s Prize Shortlist

30:08 The brutality of motherhood

32:50 Real politics plays out in the family

34:38 The pressure of success

38:02 Avni’s writing process

44:48 Writing peer groups

46:54 Responding to critique

49:55 UAE’s literary scene