Children's author Khyrunnisa A on her latest book in the ‘Butterfingers' series

The Hindu

2 days ago

Children's author Khyrunnisa A. is back with her book of (mis)adventures of Butterfingers a.k.a. Amar Kishen in The World of Butterfingers : The Halloween Adventure And Other Stories. The prolific author from Thiruvananthapuram, who delights readers with the seamless blend of fun and facts in her works, has packed three stories in the new book published by Penguin Random House (Puffin).
The character Butterfingers, the clumsy yet exuberant and endearing 13-year-old boy, and the world the author has created around him have won her many fans over the years. The first story of the new book, The Heebee Jeebees And The Bees, is about the visit of The Heebee Jeebees, Amar's favourite band to town and the chaos that follows, which eventually ends on a happy note. The Halloween Adventure, as the title suggests, takes Amar and his gang to Ooty after they win a cricket tournament, during Halloween, where a haunted house and a bank robbery create all the hullabaloo. Butterfingers And The Antiquity Stall, perhaps the most delightful of the three, is based around a history exhibition, where Amar and friends set up an antiquity stall with a difference.
This is her 18th book, ninth in the Butterfingers series and the second comic book. In an interview, the author, a former English professor at All Saints' College, Thiruvananthapuram, talks about the book, her creative process and what keeps her going. Excerpts:
Arriving at the plots
The ideas randomly come up. The thread for the third story popped up when I broke something. The piece looked like what you see in archeological sites or museums. I worked around that thought for the story. I take a lot of joy in building my plots. Some authors say writing is a mystical, mysterious process. However, I can't actually describe it. Creativity is a conscious thing, it comes out of your imagination. At the same time, sometimes when I am busy typing the story as I have thought it out in my head, a totally new idea, a shift in the plot or a new angle comes from nowhere into my mind. That is truly mysterious, and I cannot explain it.
What keeps you going?
I think it is like a mission for me to get children interested in books and reading. Because, we all know how important it is to read. The page/book vs screen debate is still on. Definitely, the page has won. Research has shown that those who read turn out to be well-adjusted, responsible, intelligent individuals. Getting addicted to the screen robs you of many virtues. It is true that you can run several errands through your phone. But once you are hooked to the screen, you get distracted. You keep on scrolling and nothing makes you happy. That makes you impatient.
Adapting to the changing times
I haven't changed my style. People associate humour with me even though I have written a few serious books for adults. I am extremely comfortable writing humorous content. Also, I stay away from topics such as religion, politics, mythology, and the like. I feel comfortable in what I have been writing all these years. And from the feedback I have been getting, I know that readers like that.
I prefer to keep my works realistic. I can't write horror or fantasy since I don't want to. I often write about animals and little creatures; I make them anthropomorphic. In that way it is a kind of fantasy. At the same time, I ensure that I am factually correct about these creatures. The idea is that children should establish a connect with these little creatures and insects and understand that they are very, very important for our survival and we have to live with them. The human beings are less than a small dot in the universe. But I really do not know how much of that is comprehended by the children. Nevertheless they laugh and enjoy the stories. I hope they absorb some of the underlying themes too.
Penchant for humour
There are several reasons for that. One is I grew up in a large family, as the youngest of eight. I needed humour for survival. Another fact is I loved to read humour. PG Wodehouse is my all-time favourite. I started reading him while in Class VII and I still enjoy his work. I have at least 50 of his books in my collection. I would call him an indirect influence on my writing. I also love the writings of Bill Bryson, Gerald Durrell, Jerome K Jerome etc. Growing up, I enjoyed the William series by Richmal Crompton. I suppose I must have internalised humour.
People say it is very difficult to write humour. For me, it is not.
The new-age lingo
I love the English language and enjoy playing with words. But I don't try to bring the Gen Z language into my writing because I don't want to. I know that children indulge in rough, crude talk, use bad words, slang and so on. However, I prefer to keep what is good, acceptable English, while making it sound realistic. I don't want to imitate to the letter how they speak in real life. I don't wish to take realism to that level. That's why someone said I use a kind of idealised language.
Love for sports
I love sports although I am not a sportsperson. In fact, I follow all of them – cricket, badminton, tennis, football, global sports events... everything. That's why I include them in my works [her latest book for Penguin, Agassi and the Great Cycle Race features cycling]. Writing has always to do with what you are interested in, what you know best, what you are comfortable writing about. One must write to their strengths. At the same time I don't make it technical. It is done in a funny, simple way so that readers who have no idea about the particular sport, get to understand it effortlessly while enjoying the book.
The World of Butterfingers : The Halloween Adventure And Other Stories, with illustrations by Abhijeet Kini, is available in book stores.