Banker by day, and denizen of Los Angeles' clubs by night, the protagonist of Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla's first novel is navigating between more than just a day job and an active social life. In Ode to Lata, Ali has left behind a tempestuous childhood in postcolonial Kenya, the overprotective mother who raised him on a steady diet of Hindi cinema, an emotionally abusive bisexual lover, and confused memories of his father's violent death at the hands of his mistress. Now his mother's messages ramble on his answering machine when he wants no one but his one obsession, Richard to call. Passionate and unflinchingly honest in its narrative, Ode to Lata scavenges the depths of one man's misguided search for love in a world of emotionally-void encounters and tangled memories. All the while, Alis' story is intertwined with the unraveling of his parents' own doomed relationship and the film music of Bollywood's eminent singer Lata Mangeshkar (Diva of Indian film music and the namesake of the book's title). And it is this hopelessly romantic music that scores their tormented lives and goads them to pursue love through chaos and ecstasy. A special "Author's Edition" on Kindle includes the bonus short story, "A."
Los Angeles-based writer-producer-director, Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla was born in Mombasa, Kenya. At 13 years old, the aspiring novelist sold his first article in Kenya's national magazine, VIVA. Since then, he has written for various national publications and his work has been studied and celebrated at MIT (2004), The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (2009) and as the subject of the prestigious Master's Tea at Yale University (2011).
His debut novel, "Ode to Lata" was excerpted in the award-winning anthology "Contours of the Heart (Rutgers), which went on to win the 18th Annual American Book Award. The Los Angeles Times Book Review hailed Dhalla's debut as "an achievement" (Sunday, March 24th, 2002) and Christopher Rice called it "a rare, great novel" (book jacket). "Ode to Lata" went on to create milestones as the first South Asian gay novel ever to be reviewed by The Los Angeles Times Book Review and to be excerpted by Genre Magazine. It was also the first account of the South Asian gay experience from an author from the African continent.
"Ode to Lata" was adapted for the motion picture, "The Ode." Dhalla wrote, produced and co-directed the film. "The Ode" premiered at the Oufest Film Festival on July 17th, 2008 to a sold-out audience. It was called "a beautiful portrait of the American experience for many first and second-generation Indian-Americans" (CineQueer, July 18th, 2008) and a film with performances that are "memorable" and filled with "cinematic intensity" (Planet Homo, July 19th, 2008). The UCLA Asia Institute praised it as a film that inspired "after-film contemplation" and boasting performances that are "noteworthy" (Asia Pacific Arts, August 8th, 2008).
Dhalla's follow-up novel, "The Two Krishnas" (Magnus Books, September 2011) explores infidelity and political upheaval across three continents. Author Bapsi Sidhwa (Cracking India, Water) calls it "a touching and masterfully written novel", Christopher Rice (Blind Fall, A Density of Souls) says it's a novel "of great emotion with equal parts passion and precision...a classic tale of tragic, forbidden love", and Chitra Divakaruni (The Palace of Illusions, Sister of My Heart) praises it as "a novel filled with unexpected turns and beauty...complex and heart-wrenching." Mark Poirier (Goats, Modern Ranch Living) says it's "a powerful, sure-footed novel of love, longing and loss that richly portrays life like no other novel...Dhalla's talent shines" and bestselling author, Lisa See (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan) has praised it as "exquisite, drenched in emotion and timely."
A passionate activist, Dhalla co-founded the South Asian program for AIDS intervention for the Asian Pacific Aids Intervention Team (APAIT) in Los Angeles and SATRANG, a support group for LGBT South Asians in Los Angeles.
In June 2007, Dhalla was listed as one of the Top 21 Tastemakers and "Most Important Movers and Shakers" in America by Genre Magazine. In August 2007, Dhalla was listed as one of the "Top 25 People Who Make Us Melt - Angelenos Who Redefine What's Hot" by Frontiers Magazine. In March 2008, Dhalla was included in Anokhi Magazine's "Sexy & Successful 2008" roster.
Dhalla joined the prestigious Humanitas Prize organization in 2009 as a Reader for excellence in TV and Film scripts for the 35th Humanitas Prize. On August 29th, 2009, Dhalla was given a tribute at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (NY) with the headlining event, "An Evening with Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla" where he had the opportunity to map the journey of his novel, "Ode to Lata" to screen and celebrate his other works. The event was thrown by Engendered, an organization that brings awareness to gender and sexuality issues.
Some of Dhalla's influences are Andrew Holleran, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Dorothy Parker and the poetry of Rumi.
Author Website: www.GhalibDhalla.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ghalibshirazdhalla
Twitter: @gshiraz
