Kevin Baldeosingh is a newspaper columnist who deals with issues ranging from philosophy, literature, science, social psychology, religion, pedagogy, economics, and policy matters. In 20 years as a professional writer, has written over 2,000 newspaper articles, over 30 periodical articles and papers, 20-plus short stories, 3 novels, and a history textbook. His novels are: The Autobiography of Paras P (Heinemann Caribbean Writers Series, 1996); Virgin's Triangle (Heinemann Caribbean Writers Series, 1997); and The Ten Incarnations of Adam Avatar (Leeds: Peepal Tree Press, 2005). This last is the only work of fiction by an Anglophone Caribbean writer that covers five centuries of Caribbean history. His most recent fiction has been included in the short story collection Trinidad Noir (Akashic Press, 2009). In May 2011, CSEC History, a textbook he has co-authored with Dr Radica Mahase, will be published by Oxford University Press.
In 2007, his one-act play, The Comedian, was one of the 4 winning plays in the National Drama Association’s playwriting contest. Kevin was also one of 15 prize-winning finalists in a 2007 international essay competition, organized by the US-based TRACE Institute, on official corruption and how to prevent it. He is a co-founder and chairman of the Trinidad and Tobago Humanist Association, the only organization of its kind in the Anglophone Caribbean. He is also vice-chair for ASPIRE (Advocates for Safe Parenthood: Improving Reproductive Equity), a lobby group seeking clarification and updating of Trinidad and Tobago’s laws on abortion in order to reduce health risks and maternal mortality associated with unsafe abortions. He was regional Chairperson for the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Canada/Caribbean) for 2000 and 2001. At present, he works for the Trinidad Express as a freelance writer and columnist.
- Tell us about ‘The Ten Incarnations of Adam Avatar’.
It’s about a human being who dies every half-century and is reborn in a new body, initially with no memory of his/her past lives.
- Why did you write this book, and what do you hope to achieve with it?
I wanted to explore the question of how our identity is affected by our situation – whether we’re male, female, rich, poor, black, white etc.
- Is there an underlying message in ‘The Ten Incarnations of Adam Avatar’?
If any, that being human encompasses many conditional conditions.
- I believe you are a humanist, with a deep sense of social responsibility. Has this helped you to create this work, and if so, how?
Yes, because I’m not tied to any ideology, religious or otherwise, and I feel impelled to use whatever gifts I have to improve people’s lives.
- Of the characters you’ve created, do you have a favourite? If so, why this particular character?
Avatar himself and, within the novel, the servant girl character, because she most embodied the traits of a Caribbean individual who overcomes adversity.
- How is writing science fiction or fantasy different from writing other genres?
The science fiction and fantasy author has to be very well grounded in reality, logic and empiricism, or else it’s impossible to break reality’s rules and still maintain the reader’s suspension of disbelief.
- What did you find most rewarding in the writing process?
The sense of creating a world.
- What did you find most challenging in the writing process, and how did you overcome it?
Just the discipline of sitting down every day to write. I set a schedule.
- What have you done to promote and market your book, and what advice would you give to other authors?
I’ve gone to book fairs, spoken to publishers and editors, while also spreading the word on my personal network through the Internet.
- Who, do you imagine, would be your ideal reader?
Someone who is seeking both information and entertainment.
- What advice would you give to help others build the confidence required to write their first book?
Learn the craft.
- Would you like to see your book adapted for the screen? If so, do you have any aspirations or reservations regarding this?
Yes. Only that a filmmaker stays true to the story.
- Tell us a little about a good science fiction or fantasy book you’ve read recently.
The last books I read weren’t recent – Harry Potter and Phillip Pullman.
- What are you doing now?
I am working on my fourth novel.
- Describe ‘The Ten Incarnations of Adam Avatar’ in one sentence.
A novel covering five centuries of history.
- Where can we find you and your book?
