Fiction writers aren't social commentators: Novelist

Indian contemporary literature is benefiting from the growing tribe of journalists who are writing books of late, points out award-winning poet, dancer and novelist Tishani Doshi. At the same time, she says, a fiction writer is not a social commentator.

'Journalists have powerful stories to narrate. They can play with the language and have a good ear for dialogue,' the Chennai-based writer told IANS in an interview in the capital.

Doshi, who won two awards for her anthologies of poetry, has explored 'reverse immigration' as a theme in her new novel, The Pleasure Seekers, to be released in the capital Aug 5.

'Commenting on burning issues is natural for journalists-turned authors because they draw matter from their beats - subjects that they know,' said the writer, who graduated with a master's degree in creative writing from the Johns Hopkins University.

But a fiction writer is not a social commentator though it is a mantle that contemporary writers are being increasingly expected to wear in this decade, she said.

Full report here Sify