​'Those Books Won't Write Themselves': Eeva Maria al-Khazaali On Launch Of Her Novel The Male God And Her Workshop At Godrej Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest

Finnish poet, author and performer Eeva Maria al-Khazaali is all set to launch her novel The Male God at Godrej Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest which is all set to take place on October 23, 24, and 25. Her novel will be launched at fest on October 25. Apart from launching her book, Eeva will also conduct a workshop titled 'Stanza To Para', which will take place on October 24.

The Free Press Journal interacted with Eeva and spoke to her about her workshop, book launch and more...

Your workshop at the Mumbai LitFest is called 'Stanza to Para'. What is the biggest challenge writers face when trying to turn a poem into a story, or a story into a poem?

It may be a challenge to writers new to any form to see what the form requires from the text and the language. It may be a challenge, a lovely one, to see what kind of stardust the text is made of and what it truly needs to be literature.

Congratulations on launching The Male God! What was the main inspiration behind this book, and what do you hope readers take away from it?

Thank you. The inspiration was driven by my daily visits in my local cafe. The hustle and bustle and chime of the coffee machine proved to be the perfect, sort of small milieu for the topic of limerence. This work of fiction started naturally appearing to the screen while the cafe offered a stage for what could have been.

When you sit down to write, how do you know if an idea wants to be a short, rhythmic poem or a long narrative paragraph?

As an author who started out as a poet, I believe in the unexplainable will be set free in poetry. The free verse has always been my starting point too. My rhythm is the rhythm of my pulse and my breathing.

The liminal spaces of poetry and prose interests me, and inspires me to experiment with breaking the form. Fragmentary prose is very close to a prose poem but the long form proves it self when the drama of the narration takes over.

How does it feel to share your work at the Mumbai Lit Fest, and what are you most excited to experience here?

This is my second time in Mumbai. I'm super excited to see many familiar faces I've had the absolute joy to meet before.

The upcoming festival will bring people together to conversate, inspire and equally be inspired.

What is one piece of simple advice you give to writers when they feel completely stuck on a piece of writing?

Don't give up. Those books won't write themselves.

After The Male God, what kind of ideas or themes are you excited to explore next?

I'm currently working on my next poetry collection. It will be something completely unexpected. I'm experimenting by adding translations and layers to love poetry.

Published on: Thursday, October 22, 2026, 07:43 PM IST