An Indian economist living in Singapore is branching out, bringing more art into his business-minded life.
Sanjeev Sanyal has now written five books, the latest of which is a collection of short stories. There are varying opinions about short stories at the moment, including how effective they are at conveying plots and character arcs, as well as debate about how much longer they might last in the sphere of literature. However, Sanyal has dismissed those concerns, leaning in to short stories at a time when other writers an artists are looking at alternative approaches.
This latest collection of short stories takes inspiration from Sanyal’s life. The settings span everywhere from India, where Sanyal is originally from, to London, where he studied, and Singapore, where he currently works. The bulk of the stories are satirical, offering sharp commentary on a number of cultural references. Indian literature itself has a rich history in satire, which is primarily where Sanyal derived his inspiration.
Many of his stories also are shaped with the philosophy that life is completely random. Instead of operating on a pre-determined path, like some people believe life to be, Sanyal approaches his stories with the idea that life isn’t predictable. All of these unpredictable events play off of one another, inspiring a domino-like effect of situations.
Like many writers, Sanyal also derives inspiration from his own life. Though he says there is no one character truly based off of himself, there are a couple of references to economists or people living in Singapore that Sanyal says function as reflections of his existence. Also, Sanyal relishes the challenge of constructing a short story. There’s a true art to it, since the story is limited by its length. There aren’t thousands of words available for character development and world building. Sanyal says he must pack a complete story — along with the traditional mechanics that usually accompany it — into a brief period. That challenge has inspired him to continue to embrace short stories and literature in general.
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To read more about Sanjeev Sanyal’s approach to the art of short stories, go to http://www.indiawest.com/news/india/economist-as-short-story-writer-sanjeev-sanyal-aims-to-revive/article_8e12cef8-5567-11e8-b912-b397e0ea2a71.html.