So many Indian novels, quite unfairly, do not get the prominence they should because they have been written in a language other than English.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Similar quotes
Self-censorship is a lie to yourself; if you are going to be trying to seriously create art, to create literary art, and you decide to hold back, to censor yourself, then you are a fool to yourself and it would be better that you kept your mouth shut and did not speak.
I paint the way someone bites his fingernails; for me, painting is a bad habit because I don't know nor can I do anything else.
I paint what I see and not what others like to see.
The moment a man begins to talk about technique that's proof that he is fresh out of ideas.
The Taliban's acts of cultural vandalism - the most infamous being the destruction of the giant Bamiyan Buddhas - had a devastating effect on Afghan culture and the artistic scene. The Taliban burned countless films, VCRs, music tapes, books, and paintings. They jailed filmmakers, musicians, painters, and sculptors.
If you're making music, you must want to turn other people on to it, whether you're number one in the charts or number 60. I don't know, that's a commercial thing, but just the fact that other people like you... there's no point in making music, otherwise. Otherwise, you might as well make it in your bedroom and leave it there.