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Celina Baljeet Basra is a writer and cultural worker based in Berlin. She is a founder of the Department of Love, a curatorial collective. Happy is her first novel.
Celina Baljeet Basra's website
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Tiffany Troy: I am so curious about the novel's title, Happy, and the choice of the character's name as Happy Singh. The name "Happy" is common as a nickname and so is the last name "Singh." Why did you create the persona of "Happy"? What joy and surprises do you believe this character brings to the readership?
Celina Baljeet Basra: Happy was always going to be Happy––ever since I thought about this novel for the very first time––about twenty years ago––I stuck with the title. Happy's reality, of course, for a large part of the novel, is anything but happy, even if he does try to find joy in it all. The dissonance between the title and the narrative lies at the heart of the novel, and this is amplified by Alex Merto's genius cover: a smile so wide it almost hurts.
TT: I too adore the genius cover because the yellow really conveys that smiley face giddiness that is betrayed when you flip the cover to its back. Can you talk to us about the process of putting together the collection of short stories that incorporate a myriad of forms, from "group text messages" to "interviews," and in thinking about rewriting European myths–and maybe White capitalism–by extension, in a Punjabi ...
Born in Turin in 1972, Fabio Geda is an Italian novelist who works with children in difficulties. He writes for several Italian magazines and newspapers, and teaches creative writing at the Italian school of storytelling, ... (more)
If you enjoyed:
Happy
Try:
In the Sea There are Crocodiles
by Fabio Geda
Jhumpa Lahiri, a bilingual writer and translator, is the Millicent C. McIntosh Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at Barnard College (Columbia University). She received the Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for ... (more)
If you enjoyed:
Happy
Try:
Roman Stories
by Jhumpa Lahiri
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