ATTITUDE TO WRITING

Does a writer attempt to shape his age or does he rather passively allow himself to be shaped by it? How does he relate to it? Is he a beacon guiding it into the future or simply a mirror which reflects it? Probably every artist considers his position with regard to these questions. Gill comments: "An artist is above his age, although rooted in it, as a lotus flower is rooted in water. . As he is sensitive and perceptive, a writer should provide guidance for his age. He has obligations to his society, but his job is not to preach. His role is especially important in the present age, a critical point in human history. Through his knowledge of physical science, modern man has acquired the ability to destroy civilization. He is in grave danger because he has advanced intellectually but not morally. Quick destruction will result if he uses his power in the wrong way. Artists are aware of the perils man now faces and they must fill the gap made by the loss of credibility of politicians, scientists, and religious leaders. Artists can communicate their message by presenting it in a pleasurable fashion. This I try to do in my writing. The writer is not a recluse but very much a part of his world, and he must be even more concerned about it than nonartists are because of his greater perception and influence."

Gill states that in writing a prose he usually starts with an idea and then he searches for appropriate material from various sources to elaborate it, sometimes uses a story, a description or an analogy, and then rewrites until he feels the written words satisfactorily express his idea. "I love words as much as Dylan Thomas did. They are like clothes on an idea. Without the proper words ideas are not effectively stated." He says that as long as the idea goes unexpressed, he is not at ease and is suffering and struggling, but when he succeeds in expressing it, the burden is off his shoulder and he feels relaxed, comfortable, happy, wonderful. He notes a dilemma of writers: they must confront reality, but when they do, they are saddened, as they realize that it always lacks qualities they desire it to have, and they feel powerless to give it these qualities. Artists, then, tend to live more on the peaks-- when their creations satisfy them-- and in the valleys when they do not-- than most people. Gill remarks: "Not that I'm never happy, but there's frustration. I have worked hard all my life. I enjoy the practical side of life, but sadness emerges in my creative work."

For Gill writing has been a compulsion for most of his life. Asked why he writes, he said: "Ask a flower why it blooms, ask the moon why it reflects light, ask anyone why he breathes." Most people desire to leave something of themselves behind to prove they have lived. This desire is one reason for marriage (procreation) and for art. An Indian king built the Taj Mahal not primarily to perpetuate the memory of his dead wife, but to perpetuate his love for her. When asked how much of himself is in his work, Gill replied that a novel is a piece of art which uses material from life. Incidents are probable, but not copied from life as their sequence is changed. From his experiences, he chooses some details and rejects others, depending upon the idea he is working with. "I have to write to prove that I'm living... but my books are not my biography, and I don't want people to mix or confuse the two. My poems, however, are my spiritual biographies, the mirror of my soul."

Gill wrote in Writer= Lifeline (May 15, 1978) that "in spite of a natural talent or aptitude, the artist has to work hard to learn about his art to present it in the best possible way. In other words he or she has to read pertinent literature or take courses and seek the guidance of professionals in order to achieve a degree of perfection in the chosen field." Without these helps, he states that natural talent is like a rough diamond that has to be chiselled and polished to be put into a better, more beautiful shape. Systematic study, in one way or another, will nourish this talent and lead its possessor eventually to success. Gill laments the fact that many aspiring writers are least convinced with this argument. They never bother to look for available material in a library or elsewhere on the development of writing skills. They seem to be so blinded by the notion of the writer as one born with talent that they never bother to buy or even borrow a copy of a magazine or book that would give them tips on writing. They consider revision of their work to be a cardinal sin, and they have no friends who have succeeded in some degree at writing with whom they can discuss their writing problems.

Gill continues: "When they produce something, they take it to their nearest friend, even if he or she has no time to read, or has insufficient knowledge or experience of the subject. After reading a few pages, these friends please the budding author by saying: 'It sounds like an interesting piece... I don't see anything wrong with it.@

“I am not talking about teen‑agers; often they are easy to be instructed and informed. I am talking about persons who are in their forties and fifties and who have a reasonable education. It takes time and effort to convince them that writing is also a profession, a skill to learn and to improve through hard work, patience and study. Any suggestion concerning a change in the manuscript, or a recommendation to read a book in order to know more about some writing skill, or even the slightest hint to join a literary group, they regard as a punch in the nose. They do not see it necessary for such effort.

"It is hoping against hope for any writer to expect a publisher to invest money and time on a product that lacks proper treatment. However, one important step that beginners can take is to join their local group of writers. If there is none, they can form one. The main function of these literary groups is to provide guidance and inspiration to writers. Inspiring writers will derive immense benefits by associating with birds of the same feather."

In the Standard‑Freeholder of October 19, 1976, Gill says: "An established writer should try to write every day. If a writer waits until he or she is in a certain mood, other things may interfere and the thought will not get down on paper. Mr. Gill says that he enjoys writing both prose and poetry. Some subject matter can be better expressed one way then the other."

Some critics regard Immigrant as an extremely autobiographical novel. Certainly Gill's experiences in his first four to five years in Canada had great influence on it. He explains that he wrote it for a purpose: to tear the mask of ignorance about other cultures from Canadians, as he believed they generally lacked knowledge of and interest in other cultures. He says that in India people who never come into contact with Canadians have a very distorted picture of them and that most Indians think Christianity is taken far more seriously in the West than it actually is. Generalizing from the Canadians he met and talked with, he expected Canadian society to be much more open and friendly than he later found it to be, and also he expected to find ‑ but did not find ‑ great interest in him and his culture at a Canadian university. This novel is mainly concerned with his experiences and with those other Indian immigrants as well. Their stories are integrated with his as they are read or told to him. Gill says that, as he is not alienated, he differs greatly from Reghu, who generally represented alienated Asians. Gill describes Why, another of his novels, as a multidimensional novel with various purposes. One was to study boredom; another was to examine the contrasting attitudes of women of different cultures to love. Gill maintains that Canadian women intellectualize love but those Eastern, especially Ethiopian women, regard it simply as an affair of the heart. He states that the mother of Reuben, the protagonist, had a central role in the novel but he does not elaborate it. Gill wrote The Loyalist City, whose male protagonist grows up in Saint John in the first part of the twentieth century, because he was attracted to the city on account of its interesting history. A friend, a native of Saint John, gave him considerable information on it, which he used to establish an air of authenticity in the novel. He thinks that life in Saint John at the turn of the century was similar to the present life of Asians in Canada, and that his own experience here gave him an understanding of post‑colonial Canada.

Gill believes that Canadian literature, until recently, at any rate, has mostly been mediocre or derivative, and that Canadian writers have been low in creativity, because of the lack of a strong publishing industry in Canada and of support for her writers. He notes that for financial reasons most writers here have had other full‑time jobs and therefore they have insufficient time to perfect their abilities. Their market is limited and they must compete with foreign writers, whose books can be purchased cheaper than books printed in Canada. He thinks that Canada is starting to produce world class writers now. Canada needs writers to share their joys, sorrows, experiences and dreams with one another. Writing is basic both to culture and to a sense of identity. A country without a written culture is a house without a foundation, and Canadian writers are generally ignored by the federal government.

Gill says that he aspired to be a writer from his childhood. He published a few short stories and articles in minor magazines when he was in his teens. He used to write poetry also, which he never bothered to have published because he was never satisfied with his attempts. Yet he was always considered as a poet by his friends. For many years he remained under the impression that unless he obtained high university degrees, no one would be interested in reading his books. Consequently, he gave most of his life to studying in order to receive these degrees. Now he thinks that he has wasted his time in running after them, as what is indispensable to a writer is a good imagination and a burning desire to share his feelings, thoughts and experiences with mankind, but that a high level of academic learning is unnecessary for him.

When asked "what interested him in writing?" he replied that "it is like asking me why do I breathe." He added that writing is innate with him-- it is something he was born with. His desire to share his experience with others is the motivating force behind his writing. However, he said that he must feel strongly about a subject before he can commit himself to writing about it. He compares a poet with a woman in labour, a theme which he has illustrated in his poem "A Poet.@ In this

poem, a woman in labour suffers, but she forgets her pains after the child is born. Similarly, a writer in creation goes through a spiritual or mental agony, but once his intellect's child is born, he becomes so much pleased with it that he forgets the sufferings which accompanied the birth.

Gill believes that writers are the unacknowledged legislators of the world and that it is important for governments at all levels to take every care to produce a good harvest of these legislators. He believes seriously in polishing his writing. He has revised each of his stories ten to fifteen times, and each of his poems as many as twenty times.

Gill cannot recall the time when he first thought of becoming a writer. During his early childhood, he loved to play day and night, but later he became a serious reader and he began to write as well as read in his teens. He often imagined himself as a famous writer, while reading avidly all sorts of books. Many of his friends in high school days were published poets and writers who were much older than he was. In the past his association with other writers has been very important to him and it continues to be very important.

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