An Interview with Ali Ashhar
Ali Ashhar is a poet, short story writer and columnist from Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. He is a bilingual poet writing in English and Urdu language, but primarily writes in English. He was an academically bright child during his school days and had keen interest in literature. His writing stint began during his college days as a literature student. He is an internationally acclaimed author who has won several international literary awards with his writings being published in 20 countries around the globe. He is the author of two poetry collections, Mirror of Emotions (Notion Press, 2021) and Across the Shore (Zorba Books, 2024). Following the release of his debut book, he was chosen as the Best Debut Author for the year 2021 by The Indian Awaz and was the recipient of a Foxclues India Prime 100 Authors Award, Elite Book Awards and Rising Stars Award. Apart from it, he has been named in the list of winners of several national and international writing competitions organised by Loft Books London, Delhi Poetry Slam, S7 Poetry and others. He has done podcasts for several literary organisations and shot a YouTube video in 2024 for a campaign organized by University English, United Kingdom (a campaign supported by the University of Oxford).
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
I am an inquisitive person. I seek answers to question called life. My writing is inspired by my inquisitive I reflect and follow in solitude. My experiences shape my writing too, but the way I perceive the world matters more.
Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
Mirror of Emotions suggests an introspection with human nature, how life unfolds and what we can expect from this vagary journey of life. Initially, the title wasn’t easy to come up with as I reflected a lot before finalizing it. I believe the title is something that should summarise your book and give the reader a sneak peek of it.
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
I want them to know life can be so random, but how you deal with it matters eventually. External circumstances are not in our hands and often out of our control; we don’t know what tomorrow may bring. The good thing is that how we prepare for those challenges gives us the edge in these vicissitudes of life.
What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?
The most rewarding part was publications in different countries around the world. You write for your readers and when you get to know that you are connecting with them through a diverse spectrum on the same platform, it gives you a sense of satisfaction. Watching your words reach different parts around the globe and contributing to something beneficial toward your society, nation and mankind in general is always special. Mankind is the fruit of the same tree and the role of a writer is to make man realize it with his work. You don’t write just for money, you write for values, for justice, for hope and for fraternity.
What creative projects are you currently working on?
I am currently working on my next book. Life never stops teaching us and we never stop learning. The third book in the series after two of my poetry collections were well-received focuses on the issues that our society need to talk about—mental health, heartbreak and healing, social issues and education, art and humanitarianism, chaos and peace and some other topics I believe you need to touch upon in order to makes this world a better place.
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