Author Interview : Samir Satam

Author Interview : Samir Satam

Hello everyone,
Today I am going to introduce you to the author of 'Rhythm of Remembrance'

Let's start!

MDT: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

Samir Satam: A compulsive wanderer who scribbles poems, but is stuck in an unavoidable lockdown at present.

MDT: When did you first realise you wanted to be a poet?

Samir Satam: Poetry is not something I chose to write. It's more of a way my mind found to relieve itself from whatever caused discomfort within. So, there was no point of realisation as such. It was more of an urge that was looking for an outlet, which I found during my early college days and have continued writing ever since.

MDT: What is 'Rhythm of Remembrance' about?

Samir Satam: ‘Rhythm of Remembrace’ is a tune on which our souls start dancing while we have lost ourselves in memories. It's inaudible to people around the one who is lost in such a dance. This collection of poems revolves around such impossible longings.

MDT: What motivated you to write this book?

Samir Satam: Just life...

MDT: Describe your book in one line.

Samir Satam: A collection of poems born out of love, loss and longing.

MDT: What's the best experience you've gained through writing?

Samir Satam: Retaining my own sanity is something that writing has helped me with. When you write and share, many people read you and relate to what you went through. And when you see that reflection of thoughts, you realise you are not alone. In many ways writing has turned out to be the most therapeutic experience for me.

MDT: How do you handle negative feedbacks?

Samir Satam: My previous book 'The Camphor of Night' started with a short note that goes thus:

'You, My friend,
My mirror image,
So much like me,
Yet, My most brutal critic!'

Constructive criticism is like that for me. If we stop looking in the mirror, how will we ever improve?

MDT: Who is your favourite Indian and foreign author?

Samir: My all-time favourite book is the richly textured 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who is also one of the authors I have read extensively. But there are two other books that have left footprints all over my life:
'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' by Milan Kundera and 'The English Patient' by Michael Ondaatje. I also love reading Pablo Neruda, Andres Neuman, Albert Camus and Roberto Bolano. There are many more authors across the world, to be read in this short life.

Amongst Indian authors, I am a huge fan of Rabindranath Tagore. Then I wait endlessly for Arundhati Roy's work in fiction as well as non-fiction. A couple of years back, I relished reading Latitudes of Longing by Shubhangi Swarup and now I am waiting endlessly for her next book. In regional languages, I love reading Mahashweta Devi, Premchand, Gulzar Sahaab, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Saadat Hassan Manto, Ismat Chughtai, Khushwant Singh, Ruskin Bond and many more.

MDT: How soon can your readers expect your next book?

Samir Satam: It's too early to say anything on that. 'The Camphor of Night' and 'Rhythm of Remembrance' released within a year's time. So, maybe I will plan my next book to release next year.

MDT: Any message to all aspiring poets and readers?

Samir Satam:  I would just say, never stop writing or reading, no matter how busy life gets... And most importantly, stay home, stay safe till the vaccines are officially available…

Thanks for reading.