The Pen World Voices event was something I would never have thought of attending myself, but after hearing each author speak, I was more than glad to have had the opportunity.  I never gave thought to what inspired a writer, in part because I have yet to have to have something in my life that completely inspires me to pursue it.  In the back of my mind, I know I want to write, but as for having the motivation to do so, that’s a completely different story.  Seeing that most of their inspirations came from reading a certain book, I am inclined to start reading more in my spare time. Perhaps something will just click.

All of the writers were very delightful in their accounts but the one author that stood out to me was Nadeem Aslam.  It could have been his youthful appearance that captured my attention, but at the heart of it was his passion.  His voice had a hint of nervousness, coupled with an intensity that expressed his willingness to make an impact on those he was speaking to.  He said that when he read Bruno Shchulz’ “Street of Crocodiles” that his heart started to beat faster as if he was holding precious jewels.  I have never heard someone describe reading a book in such a grand and meaningful way.  It seems this novel sparked a fire within him, or ignited a driving force, that allowed him to do amazing things, that I would never do, such as rewriting “Moby Dick” just to learn how many thoughts can go in a paragraph and how many images can be on a full page, and rewriting a handful of other novels just to become a great writer. I was, and am still, in awe of his persistence and hard work.

Another part of his speech that really left a mark was the political aspect of it, and how he views politics as being a vital component of literature.  His affinity for the physical world transformed by the use of words is something that any person with a love of literature can understand.  There was a moment when he spoke about Jihad, when tears literally started to stream down my face.  He said that Jihad has a number of meanings to those who know the language; it has as many meanings as a rose has petals; to smile at someone when you don’t feel like smiling at them is Jihad, to be kind to someone when your own life is full of meanness, that is Jihad.  But the only meaning of Jihad I have seen or heard is religious warfare.  I was completely amazed, touched, and in awe of how powerful words can be, and what they can do when used in a certain way.  I really just enjoyed all that he had to say.