Q&A with Durjoy Datta

Q. Why do you write?
Because there’s nothing else I would rather do.

Q. Describe your favourite writing space.
No matter what I choose I would get bored of it within a month. Pretty cafes are noisy, and picturesque places are too distracting. I write best in flights where there’s no internet.

Q. Your favourite word?
Schadenfreude.

Q. Do you have a writing schedule?
I have writing goals: Words/day, pages/day. Not a schedule.

Q. Ever struggled with writer’s block?
Not really. I think of it as a pretext to stop working.

Q. Do you keep a diary?
No.

Q. What inspires you to write? Do you have a secret trick, or a book/author that helps?
The books that I read. Every book that I finish reading inspires me to write more.

Q. Best piece of advice you’ve ever got?
Negotiate your contracts hard. Publishing is a business too.

Q. Coffee/tea/cigarettes – numbers please — while you are writing…
Three coffees a day. A cup of tea. No cigarettes.

Q. Which books are you reading at present?
The Sun That Rose From The Earth. The Romanovs.

Q. Who are your favourite authors?
They keep changing. Every couple of weeks, there’s a new one. Stopped keeping track now.

Q. Which book/author should be banned on grounds of bad taste?
None.

Q. Which are your favourite children’s books?
All books by Enid Blyton.

Q. Which classics do you want to read?
I find them to be rather boring.

Q. Who is your favourite literary character?
Lisbeth Salander. Augustus Water. Tyler Durden. Saeeda Bai.

Q. Which is the funniest book you have read?
English August.