For Imam Baksh, it all began in the library of his Affiance, Essequibo Coast home, where he engrossed himself in countless books, told his peers stories and later began writing his own.
Now, a two-time winner of the Canadian Organisation for Development through Education (CODE) Burt Literary Award, Baksh is currently promoting one of those award-winning books, ‘The Dark Of The Sea.’ The book was written after Guyana was identified in 2015 as having the highest rate of suicide in the world and it snagged the 2018 Burt Award for Caribbean Young Adult Literature.
The CODE Burt Award is a literary award and readership initiative that recognises excellence in young adult literature and provides young readers with engaging books that they want to read.
Baksh, who operates a preschool and kindergarten on the Essequibo Coast, is currently promoting the book, which is on sale at the Austin’s Bookstore in Georgetown.
Growing up in a small family on the Essequibo Coast, the author started reading at a very young age and had his own library. It was in that library that Baksh developed his love for reading and writing short stories. Noticing his passion, his parents encouraged him to continue reading and bought all the books that Baksh asked for. “It’s a great privilege for me to have a library in my house and I could walk in, pick up a book and read it,” he related in an interview with Stabroek News.
At just age nine, Baksh was granted a spot at Queen’s College after passing the common entrance examination and experienced “the Georgetown life” as well as made friends from all over the country, which, he said, expanded his mind. Not once during those years, did he ever think about being a writer. “It was only when I was 18 or 19, I decided to become a professional writer even though I believed that I didn’t have the skill,” Baksh recounted.
Regardless, the young man started writing and although at first he failed to get any of his work published, he continued on his path.
As it relates to his new book, Baksh said the main character is a 15-year-old boy named Danesh, who is living in a community on the Essequibo, which is plagued by social issues, including suicide and alcoholism. Danesh, who has a learning disability, is struggling to see a positive future for himself in the community, which is wracked by alcoholism, suicide and corruption, when a mermaid crashes into his life.
With the help of the mermaid, Danesh slowly learns to cope with the issues affecting his community along with his own psychological issues, which stemmed from his upbringing, all the while battling giant sea monsters.
Baksh explained that he was inspired to write the book after Guyana was named by the World Health Organisation as the country with the world’s highest suicide rate for 2014. Guyana is now ranked third.
It was then, Baksh said, that he began realising that Guyana has an alcohol, domestic abuse and suicide problem, which are interconnected.
He revealed that one aspect of writing that he despises is the fact that he usually has to rewrite his books at least three times before he or his editor is satisfied with the outcome. “It’s all blood and sweat,” he commented.
In addition, the award-winning author revealed that he is currently working on a new novel and further disclosed that a third book is yet to be published. He revealed that the book, titled ‘The Demise of Queen’s College Adventure Club’, was also nominated for the Burt Award.
In 2015, Baksh won his first Burt Award for his book, ‘Children of the Spider.’ It is also on sale at the Austin’s Bookstore. Bacchus Supermarket in Affiance also has both books on sale.
