Fatima Bhutto: Fiction is liberating

Coming from one of the most powerful yet ill-fated families of Pakistan, Fatima Bhutto has decidedly chosen a different route to get herself heard. Her last book, The Songs of Blood and Sword was a painful memoir of a daughter, whose father (Murtaza Bhutto) was shot in front of the gates of his own house, in an alleged attempt by his own sister (Benazir Bhutto) to remove him from her way, for good.

This time, she attempts fiction, and her first novel, The Shadow of the Crescent Moon, is, as she describes it, “a novel about women and how they suffer and struggle in South Asia.”

Bhutto, who has frequently dabbled in poems and non-fiction writing as a journalist, admits that fiction was much more challenging, yet oddly liberating at the same time. “It was more demanding, like all transitions it was disconcerting at times — but the experience was very freeing. Fiction is far more dimensional and engaging, if you ask me, it is a form which demands empathy of the writer,” she says.

Based on the tumultuous yet picturesque region of Waziristan in Pakistan, her book chronicles the happenings of a single day. Her previous travel experiences aided in her effort to document and describe the place, “I have travelled around the north of Pakistan since I was a young girl and wrote a lot about the region when I was writing a column for a local newspaper — but it also has the freedom of imagination and speculation. That was very liberating.”

An alumnus of Columbia University, she believes that home is where writing is most inspired from. “Whenever I sit down to write, whatever the topic is, it is always my home that comes out on the page,” she informs.

The author had spoken recently about how the subcontinent needs more Malalas. “She is a completely new voice and she has broken a lot of barriers,” she says, adding, “People who speak truth about power are always seen as a threat, but she stands for new voices, more empowerment for women, and compassion and whatever comes in the next 10 years, we need more of those qualities and ideas.”

Bhutto recently faced a lot of wrath on the Internet for allegedly stating in an interview that London is safer than Karachi. Clearing the air she says, “My statement was that women are not safe in Karachi. The journalist in question lives in London, so she made that comparison. But on what grounds can it be said women are safe in Karachi — or indeed anywhere in Pakistan? On a day to day basis in Karachi, women cannot walk alone on the streets safely, they cannot take public transport at night comfortably, they cannot wear what they like and do not have even the fundamental rights afforded to them.”

Does such a backlash reflect on a more serious habit of intolerance the subcontinent has frequently displayed? “I feel it reflects a lack of compassion on the part of the elite. So long as the powerful few are protected, there is little concern for the multitudes,” Bhutto says.

Currently on tour for her new book, Bhutto hasn’t started working on her next one yet. “I am still touring with this one, but hope to do so soon,” she adds with a smile.