This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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According to Pratap Reddy, “It was all the new and unexpected challenges I had to face as an immigrant which both stimulated and inspired me to write these stories. The publication of the book is truly a dream come true, however clichéd it may sound. I’m happy and excited about the launch of my first book, a collection of stories woven around fictional characters who are new to Canada. I’m extending an invitation for everyone to attend and celebrate the book launch being organized by Guernica Editions to showcase their various authors.”
Pratap Reddy likes to describe himself as an underwriter by day and a writer by night. He along with his family moved to Canada from India a little more than a decade ago. Like most of his compatriots he arrived with a lot of hope along with some anxiety. He went through the hardship and disappointment which immigration entails, and he has distilled these feelings into these stories, but never losing sight of the positive aspects of immigration.
“Nothing prepares you for the uncertainties and challenges you encounter in the first few month after you arrive. The difficulty in finding suitable jobs, made all the more difficult without Canadian work experience, the non-recognition of your educational credentials, non-availability of affordable daycare are just a few of the obstacles a new immigrant faces. To add to all these worries is the extreme weather of Canada which a new immigrant especially from a tropical country has to learn to grapple with. ”
Pratap Reddy lives with his family in Mississauga. His stories have been published in magazines and anthologies in Canada, India and the USA. He has been awarded the Marty by The Mississauga Arts Council in 2008. He is also a recipient of grants from the Ontario Arts Council. He did a creative writing program at the Humber School for Writers.
One of Pratap Reddy’s short stories is called Ramki and the Christmas Trees where an electrical engineer, worried that he is unable to find a job in his field, takes up a surprising assignment to guard Christmas trees in the middle of winter. Another story in the collection is The Toy Flamingo and it tells the tale of a young man who discovers his parents aren’t who he thought they were.
“I love reading, and therefore I love to write. I have devoured books right from the time I was a child. And it has always been my secret wish to become a writer, a purveyor for absorbing and creating entertaining stories. It took me many, many years to become one, and I wonder if I would have become a published author had I not immigrated to Canada. Like hundreds of fellow immigrants I’d like to say that all the challenges and frustration one faced after coming here have been well worth the while.”
Pratap’s new book Weather Permitting & Other Stories will be available for purchase at his book launch on June 5 and at that time you can buy a personally signed copy. His book is also available online at www. GuernicaEditions.com, online at Chapters and Indigo, and at Amazon.ca or Amazon.com.
Pratap’s book launch, scheduled for June 5 at 3:30 p.m. at the Supermarket Restaurant & Bar, 268 Augusta Rd., in Toronto.
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