Say less, mean more
Winner of the Blue Peter Book Award Alan Gibbons believes the greatest writers pen down highly complex things in an incredibly simple fashion
Manika Ahuja
You cannot quite contain the urge to ask the proud recipient of the Blue Peter Book Award in ‘The Book I Couldn’t Put Down’ category, as to what elements make a literary delight. “Well, I have always firmly believed that greatest writers pen down highly complex things in an incredibly simple fashion. For instance, Shakespeare’s oft quoted line ‘To be or not to be’ is weaved from extremely lucid monosyllables. That is the mark of a true genius,” observes critically acclaimed English writer of children’s books Alan Gibbons, the man who issued a clarion call (in 2011) for the observance of National Libraries Day to celebrate reading for pleasure.
As he pays a visit to City Beautiful, to rekindle the reading-habit among children, we catch up for a candid interaction.
Books to be digested
Coming over to the value of ‘classics’ penned by masters of the art, Gibbons, who is currently busy writing his soon-to-hit-the-bookstores’ novel- ‘They Saw Too Much’, holds the view that, “While it is pertinent to digest well the works (read classics) penned by the masters of their art, you must find a voice of your own.”
He adds, “In my understanding, Robert E Swindells and S.E. Hinton are the pioneers of young-adult fiction as we see it today. If you ask me to name one of the greatest children’s book; a picture-book, in this case, it would have to be ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ by Maurice Sendak. I admire how Sendak makes use of a handful of sentences in a brilliantly woven narrative. Also, I love ‘Treasure Island’ by Robert Louis Stephenson.”
Steer clear of prejudice
He proudly terms himself as a writer of children’s books, but by his own admission, that is not in the least to say that he is oblivious to the prejudices the society continues to harbour against the said realm. Halfway through the interaction, Gibbons candidly informs of his own accord, “It is true. Writers of Children’s literature continue to be underestimated. Some time back, there was this person who asked me what genre I write about and when I told him I write children’s fiction; his response was- ‘Oh, I thought you were a ‘proper’ writer.’ Now isn’t that appalling? ”
Establishing a connect
So, how does the 63-year-old Gibbons, establish a connect with his young readers? “Well, literature taps on universal emotions. I put myself in the shoes of an adolescent, and sift through the dilemmas and loop of thoughts I went through when I was their age. I then refract it through the events of today to lend it the modern touch,” responds the ‘Forget Me Not’ author.
As the conversation draws to a close, Gibbons peppers his signing-off line with an honest confession- “Yes, writing is difficult and every writer would concur with that. There is this voice of God that you hear in your head and when you put those ‘dreams’ to paper, at times it just does not feel right. But then, sifting the best out of it all is the key!”
