Adiba Jaigirdar

Adiba Jaigirdar

Photo credit: Aleksandria Rudenko ((opens in a new window)@rudenko.photography)

Award-winning author Adiba Jaigirdar was born in Bangladesh and has lived in Ireland since the age of 10. Her debut novel, The Henna Wars, is listed in Time magazine's 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time. Adiba graduated from UCD in 2014 with a BA in English and History, and she also holds an MA in Postcolonial Studies.

Why did you choose UCD for your undergrad degree?

I loved the campus, and had a really great time when I visited it during an open day. I loved the calibre of lecturers for my chosen subjects, English and History. It also helped that the campus was quite close to home. 

What was your UCD experience like?

I had a great experience at UCD. It definitely helped me expand my worldview, meet a lot of new people, and develop as a person. I made many great friends in my classes, and I was also very involved in societies. I was in the committee for the (opens in a new window)English and Literary Society (ELS) and some of my fondest memories in UCD include the events that we put together, like open mic nights, Halloween murder mystery nights, and writing workshops. 

What was the most valuable lesson you learned at UCD?

I learned how to research at UCD, which I think is an invaluable skill for any writer. A degree in English and History really requires a lot of reading, research, and essay-writing, and all of that appears to be really different from writing fiction but these skills have definitely informed the ways in which I approach writing my books. There's a lot of research that goes into any book that you write and I picked up most of those skills during my time at UCD.

Did you always want to be a writer?

Yes, I've wanted to be a writer pretty much since I learned to read and write. 

As a writer, where do you find creative inspiration?

I find inspiration in everything. I take a lot of inspiration from real life, both my past and present; and I also find inspiration in the world and environments around me. 

As a reader, what are your favourite genres?

I read pretty much everything, but my favourites to read are thriller, mystery, and horror. 

What keeps you motivated to achieve your goals?

I'm very creatively motivated. I love to write and I have many stories that I want to tell, and that helps me with the motivation to write and achieve my goals. 

What is the proudest moment of your career to date?

Winning the Children's Books Ireland Junior Juries award. As an author of young adult literature, it meant a lot to have young people, who are my target audience, appreciate my work and vote for it to win the award. 

Do you have any advice for current English students with publishing aspirations?

Be diligent with writing, finishing your work, and then learning how to rewrite and revise. It took me a long time to get to a place where I could think critically about my own writing and figure out how to improve something I had written. The faster you get there, the better your writing will be.

Research the publishing industry, and be specific in your research. Think in terms of what you like to write and what authors have written books like yours.

Persevere. The publishing industry is full of rejections and it can be tough. Oftentimes the difference between someone who gets their work published and someone who doesn't is just a refusal to give up.