So many Indian novels, quite unfairly, do not get the prominence they should because they have been written in a language other than English.
Vikram SethRead
I am careful about fiction. A novel is not a tract or an essay. If I want to write about land reforms, or Hindu-Muslim relations, or position of women, I can do it as it affects my characters as in 'A Suitable Boy.' I could only write about issues specifically through essays. But I'll do that only if I have something worthwhile to say.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Fiction should not be confused with essays; it serves a different purpose in exploring and reflecting on complex issues through characters.
Vikram Seth emphasizes the distinction between fiction and nonfiction. He articulates that while fiction can address significant societal issues, it should do so naturally through the development of characters rather than as a platform for direct argumentation or advocacy, which is the realm of essays. Seth suggests that meaningful commentary on topics like land reforms or gender relations should emerge organically from the narrative rather than being forced into the story.
Themes
FictionWritingIssuesCharactersNovel
In practice
Example use cases
A writer discussing the purpose of their work at a literary festival.
More from Vikram Seth
All quotes →Music, such music, is a sufficient gift. Why ask for happiness; why hope not to grieve? It is enough, it is to be blessed enough, to live from day to day and to hear such music-not too much, or the soul could not sustain it-from time to time.
Vikram SethRead
But I too hate long books: the better, the worse. If they're bad they merely make me pant with the effort of holding them up for a few minutes. But if they're good, I turn into a social moron for days, refusing to go out of my room, scowling and growling at interruptions, ignoring weddings and funerals, and making enemies out of friends. I still bear the scars of Middlemarch.
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I recall drinking sherry in California and dreaming of England, where I ate dalmoth and dreamed of Delhi. What is the purpose, I wonder, of all this restlessness? I sometimes seem to myself to wander around the world merely accumulating material for future nostalgias.
Vikram SethRead
You have to learn a few things, which you do along the way, but basically, poetry is a matter of the ear. Iambic pentameters or what constitutes a stanza comes naturally - your ears will know.
Vikram SethRead
The problem with too beautiful a view is that it's alright for the mulling stage. But for the writing stage, you want to be somewhere without a view, especially if it is very different from what you're writing.
Vikram SethRead
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