Friday 28th September at 12 noon we will have to plesaure of having Romesh Gunesekera the author of 'Ullswater' and 'A House in the Country' talking to us about his texts and his work.
    
     If you have any questions to Romesh or any topic you would like to bring up even before our live chat, please post here - it will be a nice way to warm-up for the discussion.
    
     To know more about Romesh, please read his biography at the Contemporary Writers website, clicking here
    
     To join the chat on the 28th September, please make you registration and access the live discussion clicking at the chat room
    
     Cheers - Chris

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Hi Romesh,
    
     I would like to ask some questions before Friday:
     - Can you tell me the reason of leaving Sri Lanka and living in England?
     - What did you feel when you won an Arts Council Writers'Award in 1991?
     - Have you thought to go back to Sri Lanka forever?
     - I know you was in Portugal, what was your first impression about the country. Was it your first time there?
    
     Cheers, Pasi Nova

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Hello Romesh,
    
     I like the way you explore the settings and characters in your stories. what is the key to manage complex characters and maintain the interest of the story at the same time? where do we as reader place you in the strory, I mean, can we identify you with the narrator or characters in any of your stories?

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Hi Romesh
    
     Salman Rushdie said in 'Imaginary Homelands'- talking about immigrant writers - that, 'Our identity is at once plural and partial. Sometimes we feel that we straddle two cultures; at other times, that we fall between two stools,'
    
     How far would you agree with him?
    
     Cheers - Chris

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Hi dear author,
     First of all, I would like to thank you for accepting to receive our questions as well as to chat with us, readers.
     Your two short stories are indeed real works of art. You perfectly handle the tools of craft of fiction. However, I still feel a certain tendency towards qualifying your stories as another genre which is concomitant with the short story, but with a specificity that is not European.
     When I read you, I feel as if I am reading my compatriot writers in Morocco, or Africans. The way you narrate, or describe your characters are akin to the African narrative traditions and rituals.Which is indeed a strength and a credible authenticity!
     Now I would like to ask a few questions:
     1- Do you think that writing a short story is an accessible task?
     2- In your 2 stories, your heroes are somewhat identical in their psychological make-up; are they the same person? I mean are they "YOU"?
     3- Ibrahim in "A house in the country" is, I feel, probably "stigmatized" ( I mean that he his death was an outcome of not a noble cause, but of pure opportunism). Why? Don't you think that his selling the newspapers was a sort of propaganda against the colonizer? The ambivalence on his death makes me feel a bit skeptical to the writer's viewpoint to Ibrahim.
     Cheers
     Mostafa Mouhibe

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Romesh
     I'd like to know where you begin. Does a story start with a character, a setting, a situation, a "problem"- or does inspiration vary?
    
     I probably won't be able to be online tomortrow- but I'll read the transcript with great insterest.
     Best
     Saraw

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Hi Pasi Nova,
     Thanks for your questions. I left Sri Lanka because my parents moved (job related).
     It was wonderful to get an Award. It gave me confirmation that my writing might be appreciated.
     I like living in London, and feel very much at home here. I love spending time in Sri Lanka whenever I can.
     I have been to Portugal several times and it is one of my favourite countries.

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Hi Chris,
     I think imaginary homelands is a great phrase. I agree with what Salman says, but I think he limits the meaning too much. I think we all have multiple identities, not just immigrants. To some extent we are all immigrants, even if we stay in the same place. In time everything changes around us.
     Romesh

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Hi Saraw,
     Every story starts in a slightly different way. Most of the time I have to discover what the story is, the exact place, who the characters are, as I write.
     Romesh

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Hi Tanguene,
     The key is to keep the story interesting on every level from language to characters. Although I have played with autobiography in some of my stories and novels, the narrators can never be simply identified with me. In these two stories the characters are invented. I am not in the stories, although I use my own feelings.
     Romesh

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Hi Mostafa,
     Thanks.
     Not sure what you mean by 1. But obviously I think writing stories is worthwhile.
     2. My characters are not the same person, and they are not me.
     3. Ibrahim's death is not justified. It happens in the story because Ray and Siri are living in brutal times. I wanted to describe the sorts of things that happened at that time in that place and show its effect on characters like Ray and Siri.
     Romesh

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Hi Romesh,
     Thank you for answering my first questions and I hope you are prepared to receive any kind of them today.
     1. During your growing up in Sri Lanka, did you notice a silent evening/moment as it is explained in the first part of AHOUSE IN THE COUNTRY? What happened during and after a silence?
     2. I really like the way your stories are written, they open my mind about everyday life/relationship.Reading them, I feel myself in the scene and try to think about life in my place: i have remarked that you really give your readers every single detail about the story, could you explain the reason of it?
     3. I would like to know, what is the secret to become a good writer/ what did you do to become a wonderful writer today?
    
     Chao, Pasi

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Hello everyone -
    
     Just coming out from the live chat with Romesh and I can tell you it was a great experience! I know day and time were not perhaps the most appropriate for most of you, but I'm sure you will enjoy reading the chat script and we would really like to have your comments on that what was said and discussed there.
    
     Thanks Romesh for coming to talk to us! :)
    
     Cheers - Chris

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Dear Chris
     I was struggling with my internet connection for the past 1 and hlaf hours and now I'm able to get it. I was looking forward to this chat so much - what a shame! Is it possible to send Romesh a mail?

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Dear Sanghita
     I did miss youin the chat! Please, read the chat script and post your question/comment to Romesh. I've just received an email from him saying that he will be happy to add a few comments to the discussion for the benefit of people could not make it. Love - Chris

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Hi everyone
    
     Not exactly a live chat , but news from Romesh Gunesekera, in a certain way.
     Please take a look at this article published in The Guardian about his Top 10 island books. Really interesting - click on th elink below to read the article.
    
     Romesh's top 10
    
     Cheers - Chris

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