For me the fun of writing is in the creation of a character, so taking someone I know and ‘plonking’ him in a book, is like being a chef and using one of those instant mixes.

Kamila Shamsie, possibly one of Pakistan’s youngest published authors and shortlisted for international awards, holds forth on her new novel, the politics of writing and the blurring of lines between literary and commercial fiction

Kamila Shamsie is as prolific as they come. At 28, she has already authored three novels and is writing her fourth. If that weren’t achievement enough, she has been shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys/Mail On Sunday prize and been awarded a special prize for literature by the prime minister of Pakistan. And the final feather – inclusion in the Orange Futures, a list of 21 writers to watch out for in the 21st century, an off-shoot of the Orange Prize for Fiction – Britain’s most prestigious literary accolade for a single novel. All this comes packaged in a geniality and humility that is refreshing for someone so young and accomplished. Perhaps, Shamsie has had time to get used to her accomplishments. At 11, she authored her first 40-pager which, at that age, qualifies as a novel. This was about dog heaven – an elegy to the death of beloved dogs co-authored with a like-minded, canine-loving buddy. While the buddy is now tackling New York’s financial world, Shamsie has been writing ever since.

Luckily for her, having a mother who dabbled in literary pursuits – Muneeza Shamsie is a writer and reviewer of books – helped her realise her passion for becoming a writer. Not many a Pakistani parent, even in this age of romancing the South Asian novel/novelist, would appreciate being told that their child nurtures literary ambitions. But, hers were delighted and off she went to Hamilton College and then to Amherst at the University of Massachusetts in the US to pursue a master’s degree in creative writing.

Shamsie currently divides her time between teaching assignments in the US, literary socialising and rejuvenation in London and writing stints in Karachi. While all three are home in different ways, she affirms that her heart lies in her writing.

“It does make a difference, having someone in your family who is doing a similar sort of thing. My mother is a writer. She does a lot of literary book reviews and she’s edited a couple of anthologies. It also means that I grew up surrounded by books and talk of books. So, when you say you want to be a writer, it is not considered a completely alien thing. I think, for most people I know here, if they said this to their parents, they would be regarded with aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!