You all know him by now as an outstanding poet with words that would melt your heart away and give you a reason to muster some courage and confess to your lovers - his poetry speaks to everyone and is for everyone.
You all know him for his cheerful attitude and his eccentric style and the creative flares he had shot in recent times on his official Facebook page and Instagram account. He is Hussein Ali, the budding writer and poet of the beloved book "A Secret We Share".
Being the busy human being that he is, it was not a walk in the park for me to get to sit down to have a tete-a-tete with the man, but the young artist was miraculously free on one fine day and I could not have been so glad to make him spill some beans, which I am sure his ever so growing horde of fans would love to hear.
So here's a one-on-one interview of the man with many a talents.
Avas: What pushed or what gave you that drive to write?
Hussein: I've like always liked to write. But the drive I think for me came about three years back when my sister passed away. That was like, I was going through all of these things. She was really close to me, in a way she was like my mother figure and when she passed away there was this emptiness left behind. I actually kind of like went through an existential crisis and I needed to find... like I had to do something to deal with the grief. And I remember the very first day, after the funeral, I came back home and just instantly started writing. I would not necessarily say that they were poems, but I just started writing back then. I enjoyed it [writing] because for me it was kind of like this thing through which I could express, these feelings that I don't wanna talk about, and things that I am not comfortable talking about. I liked the vulnerability it offered me without being vulnerable. And that was really comforting, and I was going through so many things at that time, not just the death of my sister. So to get that peace of mind, was like amazing.
Avas: Next question is associated with your first released book, "A Secret We Share". Since you are a poet, and there's this saying I've come across that every poet has a muse. How did you come with the idea of so exquisitely detail your muse? What made you do that?
Hussein: I think that for me... If I really like someone like that... can I just like... to get it all out, okay... I fell in love. I really fell in love, and for me it was really difficult to talk about my feelings or to talk about anything, literally to that person face to face. I could not say things like normal people say. I had to find a way to tell all of these things. And I remember writing a poem and from then on that person became my muse, and when I write about my muse it captures the essence... well in a way it made my love, timeless. Once I put it on ink, it won't change and it won't change the person that I fell in love with. As people we change, we evolve over time but I did not fall in love with a person who'd change. I fell in love with a person in the present, so I wrote about the person in the present that was with me and that's who I loved. And writing about that person... people do so many things when they fall in love. But I don't think anything would come close to writing poetry about that person, because everybody gets to see it but nobody gets to see it through except the writer.
Avas: As a writer both personally and professionally, what do you think is or are the challenges, writers and poets face in this society or community? Specifically in Maldives?
Hussein: There are a lot, but I think the main or the biggest challenge or problem is people's perception of writing and of poetry. The thing is, when you say art, it's really diverse. It has visual arts, and it has so many in it. Writing is included in it, poetry is included and film is included in it. In the Maldives, specifically among people who are into arts, their definition of art is different. In their definition of art, writers and poets are not included. And often this leads to lack of support for people like us. Like you know one fine example would be, all of these art festivals that they have, they never... Except for "KattiHivvaru" I have never come across one that has supported writers. And even the problem with "KattiHivvaru" is that, you know the people's mindset is that they are fine paying MVR 2000 or 4000 on a painting or a photograph, but they are not 'okay' on spending just MVR 50 on a decent canvas of calligraphy or writings on it. Last year I was doing the same thing at KattiHivvaru, but not a single person... not even one bought it. I even had these photographs along with my poetry on them. But no one blinked an eye on them, all the while these photographs and paintings at other stalls were being sold... and people were buying all sorts of things, but not... Not the writings. I think the biggest challenge that we face is people's mindset about writing, and people saying "yeah this is just writing, this just poetry" like there's no value to it. But I think that's one of the most valuable of things. And when I came out with my book, people were actually like "it's for MVR 350, who's going to buy a book for that much? It's better to go and spend that much on a coffee" this is the mindset that the people have. I received so many comments that were similar to those comments. So the biggest problem an upcoming writer or poet face would be that. The other thing would be the lack of professional services for that [for writers or poets], like we have a few printing places like Novelty and such acting as publishers. But honestly the prices they have are... well not everyone could afford them and then there are some other places... I've been to one such publisher and I got a quotation from them but when I received their email I almost fainted. Because in their quotation, they said they will print one book for MVR 700 and a 150 copies... well, you do the math, that's like around a MVR 100,000 or so. I was like, how do I put in a profit into that MVR 700 and sell it. Because people are already skeptical that I am selling the book for MVR 350 and they don't want to spend that much on a book. Also, the quality based print works are scarce.
Avas: So what would you suggest as an initiative or as a movement in the Maldivian society to promote writers and poets?
Hussein: I think that we have a lot of writers and poets. But they don't necessarily get that recognition and exposure. Like the last Ramadan, it's the peak time when local media feature talented youths and even after Ramadan, there are several outlets that do that; pick up young and upcoming artists, giving them exposure. But I've never, ever, EVER!... to this date seen a writer or poet being featured. It's always about a photographer or a make-up artist or a painter or someone like that getting featured. You know, I think that plays a huge role in creating that awareness. Last Ramadan like one media outlet alone featured over 5 photographers. And they aren't necessarily the best or exceptional in their fields. If we see more poets and writers, and people would realize that the society has enough poets and writers and they would take initiatives to provide such support for them. Finding them and giving them the recognition they deserve.
Avas: Since you have successfully released a poetry book, are we in for another poetry book? Or what kind of surprises do you have up your sleeve?
Hussein: [smirks]... well definitely there would be more poetry. I am working on a second poetry book, but I don't have a release date as of now. I have a couple of things planned out for next year and you guys might see a second book next year, and it probably would be a poetry book. Meaning I am working on two separate books, and one of them is not a poetry book.
Avas: And what could that be?
Hussein: It could be a novel or a self-help book. You never know.
Please note that Hussein Ali did provide me with the details of the surprise, however I might get to spend an eternity being an epic spoiler I would choose not to disclose that information much to the chagrin of you all, for which I truly apologize.
Avas: There are several writers and poets, so what advice would you give to them as an established writer, that is yourself?
Hussein: When I was trying to be, like where I am right now. I tried to change, so that people could relate to what I write. And then I came across this poem that Rupi Kaur [if you don't know who that is then, you need to definitely check out the book "Milk and Honey"] and she had spoken to all the young poets. She said, "never trade your honesty for relatability" and it clicked to me. It's not something I am saying, but it is something Rupi said. I strongly take after that, because being honest to yourself and writing what you really want to, is really what's gonna help you and not writing what people want you to write.
Avas: What do you aspire to achieve?
Hussein: To sit atop the NewYork Times Bestseller.
There was an honorary question, which I would not forget to include here where I asked the perky poet to "spice it up for his fans" by revealing or dropping some hint about what they can expect about his new poetry book. For which he replied with;
Hussein: So you know like... my first book was sort of depressing [laughter], well it did have one chapter that had happy poems. In a way the first book came when I was in a dark place, so obviously it was darker. But the new book, its happy. It would be about celebrating life and everything hopeful about life.
