Ashish Khetarpal

Author, language teacher, classical music and plant aficionado, runner, gym nut.

Books

Sun Sign

Sagittarius

Three things people don’t know about you?

I dance alone in my apartment, I have very long dramatic discussions with myself about life in general, I have a strange obsession with Beethoven.

What’s your greatest fear?

My greatest fear is to not be able to make it as an author.

What is your greatest achievement?

Nothing out of the ordinary as of now.

High point of your life?

None as of now. It has been a rather low-lying affair so far.

Low point of your life

2015 because 'things fall apart'.

Which living person do you most admire?

Jordan Peterson

Who is your favorite fictional hero?

Don Quixote of La Mancha.

Who is your favorite fictional villain?

Rodion Raskolnikov (Crime and Punishment).

Who are your favorite authors?

Seneca, Khalil Gibran, Rohinton Mistry, Amitav Ghosh, Arundhati Roy, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, V.S. Naipaul, George Orwell, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

What are your 5 favorite books of all time?

A House for Mr Biswas (V.S. Naipaul), A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry), The Book Thief (Markus Zusak), Man’s Search for Meaning (Victor E. Frankl), Don Quixote (Cervantes)

Is there a book you love to reread?

On the Shortness of Life (Seneca)

What are your 5 favorite movies of all time?

Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Aarzoo (1965), Casablanca, The Pianist, La Grande Vadrouille

One Superpower you wish you had?

If I could step out of the space-time dimension and observe the process of human evolution in fast-forward speed as it happened.

Your epitaph would read? /Last line in your biography would be?

He hated that 'prose' rhymes with 'decompose'.

If you had a time machine to take you back to any country and any time period, where would you choose to be for your childhood, adolosent , adult life and silver years?

I wouldn't choose any other time period to be born. I would keep India for my childhood (in the 90s); maybe England for my adolescence, keeping a moving itinerary during my adult life, and finally spend my silver years in a village in the south of France.

If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?

A concert pianist.

Which book you wish you had written ?

A House for Mr Biswas (V.S. Naipaul)

When and where do you write ?

I used to write in my kitchen, and I would start soon after breakfast and continue till evening before writing for another while later in the night. Now, I write in my study.

Silence or music?

Music

One phrase that you use most often?

"It doesn't matter, does it?"

Do you have a writing ritual / superstition?

I can only write in absolute silence, and I write better in the chair I have for six years, with a pot of coffee, and nothing on the calender.

What’s your guilty reading pleasure?

Sadly, I don't read much for pleasure.

Do you have one sentence of advice for new writers?

The sooner you accept the sacrifices demanded by writing, the simpler your path will be--not easier, but slightly simpler.

I was born and raised in Meerut, India. Then, I moved to France after my graduation from Chandigarh. I have been writing now for the better part of my life, and hope to be able to give myself the time and means to continue writing. I have authored two books in the past, including a repertoire of poems, and a collection of stories. Pushing Gods Out is my first novel.



No media found.

No interviews found.

No videos found.

f
1942 Amsterdam Ave NY (212) 862-3680 chapterone@qodeinteractive.com
[contact-form-7 404 "Not Found"]
Free shipping
for orders over 50%