In addition to providing a window into bygone times, the historical novel is further enhanced by the creativity and fanciful inspiration of an imaginative writer. Thalassa Ali is an exemplary historical fiction writer, displaying a remarkable fidelity to factual history while creating deeply interesting characters who capture the flavor and spirit of the times.

Set in 19th Century India, The Paradise Trilogy is a fast-paced, seductive tale of the exotic kingdom of the Punjab. Both 'A Singular Hostage', and 'A Beggar at the Gate' combine historical narrative with Arabian Nights-style Sufi allegory. Thalassa is now working on the last book in the trilogy, ‘The Companions of Paradise’. She reads from ‘A beggar at the Gate’ at the Harvard Coop tonight (October 8) at 7 PM.

It is an intriguing idea – you are an American who moved to Pakistan, lived there for a number of years, came back to the US and embraced Islam.
I moved to Pakistan in the early 1960s, when I was 21 years old, and lived there for 12 years. I was madly in love with my husband, and I came to think of Pakistan as my home. I would still be there if my husband had not died, tragically, at the age of 38.
I have always been in love with the Arabian Nights and so I was happy to move to Pakistan with my husband. I didn’t decide to become a Muslim while I was in Pakistan; I had decided to become a Muslim even before I went there. I made that decision during my senior year at Harvard, where I took a course in Sufi poetry and philosophy. But of course, in order to embrace any religion you need to have the right teacher, and as it happened, I did not find my teacher until 1983, nine years after I had come back to live in the United States following my husband’s death. My teacher lived in Pakistan. I went back there every other year until he died in 1991. My experience with a spiritual teacher gave me a perspective from which to write my novels, A SINGULAR HOSTAGE and A BEGGAR AT THE GATE.
Even now, I visit family and friends in Karachi and Lahore. Pakistan is my second home. Whenever I go there it is hard to leave.

How did your parents feel about your moving so far away from home? And what is different about today’s Pakistan compared to the one you moved to so many years ago?
My parents were both archeologists who had traveled all over the world. My mother was initially a little sad that I was moving so far away but she was also very fond of my husband.
I arrived in Pakistan in the early 60s, only 15 years after Independence. The British influence was still very strong then. Some men, my husband, for example, did not wear desi clothes, but only English cut suits. Since then, the influence of British culture has disappeared, and the natural identity of Pakistan has emerged. Pakistan is changing as it comes into the Twenty-first Century. Traditions have evolved. For example, in the past, weddings were small, but now they are very large.
I miss the old Pakistan but I love the new Pakistan!

What strikes me also is how you identify with the South Asian style of thinking and rationalize…as an American. How did you manage to get that down so pat?
After living in Pakistan for 12 years and loving it so much, I think I got a sense of it. I really was accepted there and felt at home in Pakistan. My connection to the people there, and my knowledge of Islam, helped me in writing my books.

What is your literary background? Did your books involve years of research?
I worked as a stockbroker here in Boston until my son graduated from Tufts in 1989. I always knew I had this story in me. But then my mother fell ill and I took some time off to care for her. My mother and I were very attached; she wanted me to finish the book before she passed away.
Researching my books has taken many days of sitting at the British Library in London. It took me four years with lots of interruptions to write the first book in the trilogy, A SINGULAR HOSTAGE, which was published in 2002. My second book, A BEGGAR AT THE GATE is a sequel to A SINGULAR HOSTAGE. I am now working on the last book in the trilogy, THE COMPANIONS OF PARADISE.

Do you see a little bit of Mariana in you? How did your experience moving to Pakistan all those years ago affect the tale and the telling?
The stories came from my living in Pakistan and observing the life and the people. I think Mariana is more like my daughter Sophia who now lives in New York. They both have a clear understanding of what needs to be done. There is fearlessness in them, they are both impulsive, and their actions can sometimes put them in danger!
My experience in Pakistan is at the heart of the tale and the telling of my novels. If Pakistan were not so dear to me, and if I had not tried so hard to see into the hearts of my characters, my novels would have been very different from what they are.

How have your books been received in Pakistan and India? They have been received very well in Pakistan. The Pakistani press and critics have been very positive about my books. I know the books have been selling in India also, although I have not seen the reviews yet.

About Islam
One of the reasons I write about Islam is because I want the public to know more about this religion. It is every Muslim’s duty to be an ambassador for Islam and educate and inform the public.

|