Getty Ambau’s new epic novel Desta narrates a family saga — spanning three generations and dealing with their dark and mysterious past in a world of monkeys, goats and spirits.

By Tadias Staff, Tadias Magazine, 09/01/2010

New York (TADIAS) – After graduating from Yale and working at a cancer research lab at Stanford and as a chemist at SRI and Raychem, Getty Ambau went to graduate school to receive a master’s degree in business. He went on to develop his own venture in the health and nutrition industry. Although he formally started writing his first book of fiction, Desta, three years ago, he worked on a different novel idea prior to that for many years. A course in short story writing inspired him to complete and get Desta published.

Below is our recent conversation with the author.

Tadias: You have written a couple books and several articles on health and nutrition. Is Desta your foray into novel writing?

Yes, I have written books and articles on health because my academic background was partly in the sciences, but I have always felt my inner calling was in writing novels. Yes, I guess, you can say Desta is my entry into the novel-writing profession because I really do enjoy writing.

Tadias: Please tell us a bit more about the book. What prompted you to write it?

The book is about a seven-year-old boy named Desta who dreams of climbing one of the mountains that circle his home to touch the sky and run his fingers through the clouds and his middle-aged father, Abraham, who yearns to find his long lost father and a missing, ancient family gold coin. But this story is also about love, relationships, greed and jealousy and losses and redemption. There is magical aspect to the setting and mystery and adventure to the story.

A few years ago, I took a short story-writing class online. Although what I wrote for this class had little connection to the novel, it served as an impetus to it in that somehow this opportunity set me on the track to engage in what I had long wanted to do.

Tadias: You paint an incredible imagery of Ethiopia’s magical landscape. Is that drawn from your childhood recollection?

Yes, much of the vivid description you find in the novel comes from what I saw and observed as a boy. The Ethiopian landscape has a soul or spirit within it which pulls and holds you every time you gaze at it. I remember whenever I had an opportunity to be on a mountaintop, I would perch on a rock and stare to the distant hazy, terrain

for a long time, wondering who lived in there or how far out the earth extended.

Tadias: Where in Ethiopia were you born?

I was born in north western Ethiopia, in Gojjam Kilil. I first left Ethiopia in the seventies to come and study for one year in high school in United States. I went back home at the end of the year, but returned to the states a year later to go to colleg

– See more at: http://www.tadias.com/09/01/2010/interview-with-getty-ambau-about-his-new-book-desta/#sthash.X8oiNb3u.dpuf

Getty Ambau’s new epic novel Desta narrates a family saga — spanning three generations and dealing with their dark and mysterious past in a world of monkeys, goats and spirits. (Courtesy photograph)

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Wednesday, September 1, 2010

New York (TADIAS) – After graduating from Yale and working at a cancer research lab at Stanford and as a chemist at SRI and Raychem, Getty Ambau went to graduate school to receive a master’s degree in business. He went on to develop his own venture in the health and nutrition industry. Although he formally started writing his first book of fiction, Desta, three years ago, he worked on a different novel idea prior to that for many years. A course in short story writing inspired him to complete and get Desta published.

Below is our recent conversation with the author.

Tadias: You have written a couple books and several articles on health and nutrition. Is Desta your foray into novel writing?

Yes, I have written books and articles on health because my academic background was partly in the sciences, but I have always felt my inner calling was in writing novels. Yes, I guess, you can say Desta is my entry into the novel-writing profession because I really do enjoy writing.

Tadias: Please tell us a bit more about the book. What prompted you to write it?

The book is about a seven-year-old boy named Desta who dreams of climbing one of the mountains that circle his home to touch the sky and run his fingers through the clouds and his middle-aged father, Abraham, who yearns to find his long lost father and a missing, ancient family gold coin. But this story is also about love, relationships, greed and jealousy and losses and redemption. There is magical aspect to the setting and mystery and adventure to the story.

A few years ago, I took a short story-writing class online. Although what I wrote for this class had little connection to the novel, it served as an impetus to it in that somehow this opportunity set me on the track to engage in what I had long wanted to do.

Tadias: You paint an incredible imagery of Ethiopia’s magical landscape. Is that drawn from your childhood recollection?

Yes, much of the vivid description you find in the novel comes from what I saw and observed as a boy. The Ethiopian landscape has a soul or spirit within it which pulls and holds you every time you gaze at it. I remember whenever I had an opportunity to be on a mountaintop, I would perch on a rock and stare to the distant hazy, terrain

for a long time, wondering who lived in there or how far out the earth extended.

Tadias: Where in Ethiopia were you born?

I was born in north western Ethiopia, in Gojjam Kilil. I first left Ethiopia in the seventies to come and study for one year in high school in United States. I went back home at the end of the year, but returned to the states a year later to go to colleg

– See more at: http://www.tadias.com/09/01/2010/interview-with-getty-ambau-about-his-new-book-desta/#sthash.X8oiNb3u.dpuf

Getty Ambau’s new epic novel Desta narrates a family saga — spanning three generations and dealing with their dark and mysterious past in a world of monkeys, goats and spirits. (Courtesy photograph)

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Wednesday, September 1, 2010

New York (TADIAS) – After graduating from Yale and working at a cancer research lab at Stanford and as a chemist at SRI and Raychem, Getty Ambau went to graduate school to receive a master’s degree in business. He went on to develop his own venture in the health and nutrition industry. Although he formally started writing his first book of fiction, Desta, three years ago, he worked on a different novel idea prior to that for many years. A course in short story writing inspired him to complete and get Desta published.

Below is our recent conversation with the author.

Tadias: You have written a couple books and several articles on health and nutrition. Is Desta your foray into novel writing?

Yes, I have written books and articles on health because my academic background was partly in the sciences, but I have always felt my inner calling was in writing novels. Yes, I guess, you can say Desta is my entry into the novel-writing profession because I really do enjoy writing.

Tadias: Please tell us a bit more about the book. What prompted you to write it?

The book is about a seven-year-old boy named Desta who dreams of climbing one of the mountains that circle his home to touch the sky and run his fingers through the clouds and his middle-aged father, Abraham, who yearns to find his long lost father and a missing, ancient family gold coin. But this story is also about love, relationships, greed and jealousy and losses and redemption. There is magical aspect to the setting and mystery and adventure to the story.

A few years ago, I took a short story-writing class online. Although what I wrote for this class had little connection to the novel, it served as an impetus to it in that somehow this opportunity set me on the track to engage in what I had long wanted to do.

Tadias: You paint an incredible imagery of Ethiopia’s magical landscape. Is that drawn from your childhood recollection?

Yes, much of the vivid description you find in the novel comes from what I saw and observed as a boy. The Ethiopian landscape has a soul or spirit within it which pulls and holds you every time you gaze at it. I remember whenever I had an opportunity to be on a mountaintop, I would perch on a rock and stare to the distant hazy, terrain

for a long time, wondering who lived in there or how far out the earth extended.

Tadias: Where in Ethiopia were you born?

I was born in north western Ethiopia, in Gojjam Kilil. I first left Ethiopia in the seventies to come and study for one year in high school in United States. I went back home at the end of the year, but returned to the states a year later to go to college.

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