‘I hate it when they talk about me and not the book’

 LONDON: Gautam Malkani, author of Londonstani, discusses his work with DNA

One does not expect a Cambridge educated, FT journalist to write a novel in the rude boy language. So, when 29-year-old Gautam Malkani’s Londonstani was unveiled at the Frankfurt book fair, it created quite some buzz.

Sentences like “Call me or any a ma bredrens a paki again an I’ma mash u an ur family. Int dat da truth, Pakis?” have been compared to the writings of celebrated authors Irwin Welsh and Martin Amis.

It is exciting times for the young author, who thanks his late “little-more-than-average-mom” for instilling in him conscience of politics and current affairs and subscribing to the Time magazine when he was 14.

Today, he has been covered by the same Time magazine which has devoted a two-page feature to his work. DNA catches up with him to discuss his work and future

Are you happy with the reactions?
I must confess, the first review made me cry. The review in Private Eye was also bad. But then I started getting some good ones and I am so happy to see a two page spread in the Time magazine.

So far, the reviews are mixed and I hate it when the reviewers talk about me and not the book. Would they have said the same things if it was a middle class English man who went to Cambridge, worked for FT and wrote the same book?

How does it feel to be compared to Irvin Welsh and being called “Muslim Irwin Welsh”?
I admire him but unlike him I have written about boys from a largely drug-less, middle class families who drive expensive cars. My characters are not Welshish ghetto kids living in council flats. And I am not a Muslim either.

What made you pick the subject of Southall rude boys?
I did my dissertation in Cambridge on Asian rude boys. The objective was to finds links between ethnicity and masculinity. From then on I always wanted to turn it into a piece of non-fiction. I wanted to write something that young people will read. My book is about boys trying to be men. My aim is to write for kids who don’t read books.

How fluent are you with the rude boy language used in the book?
Even though I didn’t speak ‘rude boy’ language much, my book is based on my experiences and my research. I had conversed with a lot of kids for the research and I had also taped conversations.

How long did it take for you to write the book?
I started writing four years ago. I used to come home from work, eat dinner and work on the book straight through the night. I was so consumed by it that my wife hardly got to see me. My wife is now glad to have me back as during those days, my book had become my mistress.

What is your family’s reaction to the success?
I value my wife and my brother’s opinion and they love it. Every scene that I used to write, my wife used to get to read it first. 

Why did you call the book Londonstani?
I always had this name in my mind, even before the Islamic fundamentalism became an issue. It is a street term. I am using it in its original form. It would be interesting to find out when it was coined.

Have you not pandered to the middle-class impression of Asian boys by characterising Southall boys as rude boys?
No. I don’t think there is a stereotype anyway. And if there was, then you can’t make a film of football hooligans as you would be worried about giving away a negative stereotype.

What I try to say in book is that ‘rude boy’ image is just a front. These are good boys. Indian boys are not one group. Writing about Indian boys wanting to be accountants would be boring stuff. There is not one homogeneous group here. There are seven characters in my book and they all are different.

Are you on your way to your next novel?
Yes, now that I work part time at the FT, I have more time to write the book. It will also be a urban youth novel.