STEPHEN GILL WITH A.N. CHOUDHARY: An
Interview
*First published in Kohinoor (
Q. Why do you write?
A. To live.
I use words to reincarnate myself to live peacefully in my home that is poetry.
Q. How do you define a good poem?
A. A good poem will touch my soul, and a poem will touch my
soul if it follows the rules of craftsmanship that includes the use of imagery,
language, and fresh phrases. Fat and
over-used expressions are the pesticides that irritate me. A good poem is
mostly bones and muscles.
Q. How has your writing been received?
A.
Reasonably well.
Q. What is your masterpiece?
A. A mother loves all her children equally. However, I am
pleased especially with Shrine, a
collection of poems about peace and social concerns. I am equally pleased with The
Flame, the longest poem in English on modern terrorism, is about the
destruction caused by maniac messiahs.
In fiction, I am pleased with Immigrant, a
novel about the hopes and fears and struggles of a newcomer from
Q.
Will you please tell us something
about your childhood memories?
How was your parentage and bringing up?
A. For years, I avoided discussions about my childhood, because it
has always been unpleasant to resurrect those unhappy days in the lap of
Q. Were those conditions conducive to
flower your genius?
A. Conducive conditions have been interludes in my life to catch
fresh air. Whenever I fell down struck by the blows from the persistent conditions of
suffocation, I rose with more determination and vigor to walk
towards my horizon. A traveler has to cover some distance every day to proceed
towards his or her horizon. In the end,
it is not the end that matters, it is the journey that matters the most.
Relentlessness is the mantra of my life.
Q. Are you a satisfied person
A. Academic pursuits are not helpful to the person who wants to
settle down as a writer. To be satisfied in the literary field is something
else. Satisfaction is the fulfillment of
needs or expectations. Satisfaction largely depends on a person’s expectations.
If the expectations are at their zenith, they are not easily achievable.
I always wanted to be a poet and writer. A poet is the candle that
burns itself in order to give light. It
is a struggle to be a meaningful poet and this struggle never ends because it
is a never-ending journey for a horizon that is non-achievable. No serious
writer can say that he or she is fully satisfied with his or her writings. I am satisfied to be a writer and poet and
dissatisfied at the same time because I have not been able to touch the shores
of my horizon. I am still yearning to ride its waves which I see bathing in the golden rays of
the sun.
Q. Which of your poems / stories are
specifically autobiographical in nature?
A. In a way, most poems and fiction are autobiographical, because
they present views and sometimes segments from life of their creator. These
views may be based on facts, real experiences, ideas or events in the life of
the artist. That is why no two artists say the same, though the objects or
events may be the same. One example is the nightingale. Several poets have been
inspired by the same bird but in different ways. The object is the same but
when a poet writes about his or her experience, it comes out differently from
the smithy of the self, where the object goes through the process of
transformation. Because every poem tells
something about its creator, it is autobiographical in some ways.
However, some poems and fiction are more autobiographical than the
others. I will include my last poem, called “autobiography” in Shrine, as well as “Go back” and several
other pieces in the category of autobiographical poems. They are not straight
autobiographies. On the other hand, my prefaces to the collections of my poems
are based on straight personal information.
In my novel Immigrant I
have borrowed considerably from my personal life. But this novel is not an autobiography. There
is a vast difference between an autobiography and autobiographical elements. It
may confuse the reader who attempts to trace autobiographical elements in a
piece of art. Such attempts do not serve any serious purpose.
Q.
What are the themes of your writings?
A. Peace and
social concerns.
Q. As a
writer , to which
tradition do you see yourself belonging?
A. None. I am establishing
my own tradition. If there is any, I will leave this to critics to find out.
Q. Do you want to give any message for our
readers?
A. Readers should find out what they want, though it is not that
easy. Some are destined to do certain things that are clear to them from their
early life. Those who do not know,
should sit down and meditate to find an answer.
If they do not come up with any answer, they should not condemn
themselves. They may be destined to help
others or raise a family in a graceful way. This is a serious and meaningful
destiny. Whatever a person wants to do, he or she should do it with the whole
mind, soul and devotion. There are no short cuts.
Those who want to serve the muse should not compete with their
neighbors and friends, or with anyone. My message to them is to compete with
their horizon. They should believe in giving.
Giving is not waste—it is sharing.
There is much wisdom in the wise words of the wisest soul that ever
walked on earth, “Give
and it shall be given to you.” It applies in the realm of writing in the form
of advice, sharing marketing knowledge and helping in any way possible.
Always find time to worship the muse. Those who wait for the
better times will not be able to serve the muse. Every human needs daily food.
No one can take the food of the whole month in a day. In the same way, the ration of daily
consumption has to be consumed daily. It
can be less or nominal, but it should be there. Writers should find time every
day to be able to write on the project they have in mind. The gist of my
message is write, write,
write, and get published.
To get published, they should start first with their local
newspapers, magazines and newsletters. They should join groups of writers and if there is
none, form one. Problems about writing, including where and how to get
published, are some topics to discuss in these gatherings.
Also,
develop the habit of
reading articles and books on writing. Local libraries should have books
on such subjects. If they do not, ask librarians to stock such books. Also read
good poetry and analyze it to
find out why that poetry is considered good.
Do not force anyone to publish your work when the editor or
publisher does not think it is worth publishing. A good poem or fiction will
eventually find a market. If one editor rejects it, send it to another.
Meanwhile, keep polishing and improving the work. Those who want to get
published abroad should start with the local market. Do not ask your friends abroad to send your material to
a publisher for you. It does not work in the West, as it does in
For additional guidance, I would advise readers to read my
prefaces to the collections of my poems. I have discussed different aspects of
writing in these prefaces. I will also advise them to visit my web site
(www.stephengill.ca) and read “Stephen Gill on poetry
and poets,” listed to the left in the side bar.
Q. Give details of your publications.
A. Here are
details:
POETRY
*. Shrine (World
University Press), poems, 1999
*. Songs Before Shrine (authorspress) collection of the following
four collections of poems:
--1. Reflections & Wounds (poems) Hc. Vesta, 1978
---2. The Dove of Peace (poems) Pb., MAF Press, NY 1989, 1993
---3 Songs for Harmony (poems)
Pb., Rose Shell Press, NJ, 1993
---4.Divergent Shades (poems)
Xavier's
*. Flashes (trilliums in haiku
spirit), Imprint
* The Flame (Vesta) This is the longest poem ever written in English on modern
terrorism.
FICTION
* Life’s Vagaries (short stories)
*The
*Why (a novel
*Immigrant (a novel)
*Simon & the Snow King (children story,
Illust.)
*The Blessings of a Bird (children story,
illust)
CRITICAL STUDIES
* Scientific Romances of H.G. Wells
* Six Symbolist Plays of Yeats
*Political Convictions of G.B. Shaw
MISCELLENOUS
*The Discovery of
*Sketches of India (illust. essays about
*English Grammar for Beginners
BOOKS IN URDU, PANJABI AND HINDI
* Aman Di Ghuggi (Poems in Panjabi language)
* Jazeera (poems in Urdu)
*Jazeera (poems in Hindi)
BOOKS EDITED
* Poets of the Capital (
*
* Tales from
* Green Snow: Anthology of Canadian Poets of Asian Origin
* Anti-War Poems: Vol. 1
* Anti-War Poems: Vol. 2nd
* Vesta's Who's Who of North American Poets
(Vesta 1990)
WORKS IN TRANSLATION
-Zakhmi Perchawen (poems in Panjabi).
Translator: Dr. Mohinder Kaur Gill. Hc., Suchinton
Prakashan,
-Awasi (Panjabi translation of his novel Immigrant).
Translator: Balbir Momi. Pb., Pal Pocket Books,
-Parwasi (translation of IMMIGRANT in Panjabi)
Translators: Dr. N. Singh and S. Sarna. Pb., 1989. Vikendrit Group of Publications,
-Reflexions
- Blessures
(poems in French). Translator: Fr.
Roland Hamel, Vesta, 1979.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
My poetry and prose have appeared in more than five hundred
publications, mostly in
I would like to share further that I receive doctoral dissertations
regularly from universities for evaluation. Scholars at some universities are
doing research at doctoral levels on my books.
Three books of critical studies are available on my works:
1 Glimpses ( published articles and
research papers). Ed. Hamadan Derwesh,
2. Stephen Gill and His Works by Dr. George Hines, Authors Press,
3. Discovering Stephen Gill (unpublished research papers
and articles). Ed. Dr. Nilanshu K. Agarwal, authors press
There is also a DVD of my interviews on television. This DVD is called INTERVIEWS WITH DR. STEPHEN GILL.
I have discussed my books, art of writing and my message about peace
in these interviews.
NOTE: Stephen Gill will be
pleased to send complimentary copies of his collections of poems and novel Immigrant to those who would like to
write research papers.
CONTACT:
stephengill@cogeco.ca
===========================================
Dr. A.K. Choudhary edits Kohinoor (a journal of creative and
critical writings). He has authored collections of poems, including Universal Love, and My Songs. EMAIL: arbind442002@yahoo.co.in
<arbind442002@yahoo.co.in>