One needs a lot of patience when trying to
explain something to a child, but Kirsty Murray does it with ease as she shows
slum children her non-fiction book related to Australian history and wildlife,
‘Topsy Turvy World’. “A book is very democratic as compared to Kindle. A book
can be moved hand to hand and the physical object makes you feel like you are
reading. For children, books are very important,” says Kirsty as she laughs
along with the slum kids of St Inez. “Reading is a human right and every child
has to be able to tell their own stories,” she adds.
Kirsty Murray is a renowned author from Melbourne, Australia who writes literature for young adults and children. She is known for her ‘Children of the Wind’ series and has often written books with India in mind like the ‘Lilliputians’ and ‘India Dark’. “India has a load of stories and Australia and India are like colonial cousins. When I go to meet children in schools, I can see an increasing number of Indian and Australian descent children as the Indian diaspora in Australia is the fourth largest emigrant group. This is my fourth visit to India and every time I travel back with great stories,” says Kirsty.
The last time Kirsty was in India was during the protests that were held in Delhi for the Nirbhaya rape case. At the same time, there was another rape case in Australia. “It was a terrible situation and horrific for women. I decided to write something for teenagers in the age group of 12 to 14 year and to get women writers involved. They could imagine anything a woman could do and lead a different life. One story is of how Ankarkali had the power to walk through walls,” says Kirsty about ‘Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean’.
She further adds, “The book features ten Indian and ten Australian authors. We used to Skype and share ideas which showed the possibilities of the future in literature. For the book published by Young Zubaan & Allen and Unwin will feature 73 pages of illustrations.”
Kirsty’s new book, ‘Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean,’ a collection of young adult speculative fiction including six graphic stories will be released in November. Edited by Kirsty, Payal Dhar and Anita Roy, the contributors include Kate Constable, Priya Kuriyan, Annie Zaidi, Samhita Arni, Kuzhali Manickavel, Manjula Padmanabhan, Amruta Patil, Vandana Singh, Isobelle Carmody, Prabha Mallya, Penni Russon and Nicky Greenberg.
Speaking about writing for children, she feels that one has to read a lot in order to understand how to engage children with the story. “It is important to understand their stories and realise that they want to tell their stories. Young authors who want to write children’s literature should read a lot and understand the voice of other authors and hone your craft. A child should be a participating reader through the books,” she concludes.