“Representation is a burden I’ve chosen to ignore” Rumaan Alam

Photo ©David A. Land

“I’m a writer; I am also an Indian writer (Bengali, if it’s political specificity that interests you), an immigrant writer (first-generation, for clarity), a gay writer (of the married-with-kids sort). Our culture needs this taxonomy—it’s useful, albeit oversimplifying, to say this is an Indian book, this is an immigrant book, this is a gay book. By logical extension, the product of an Indian writer should an Indian book; the product of a gay writer should be a gay book.
[…]
Yet my book is called Rich and Pretty, and it’s about the evolving friendship between two New Yorkers in their thirties. The protagonists are both heterosexual, both white, both women; is this book, by virtue of the fact that I wrote it, still an Indian book, is it still a gay book, is it one of those sorely-needed #diversebooks?”

Rumaan Alam - Did I Write a Gay Book? An Indian Book? A Diverse Book?
Extrait de l'article Figuring Out Where to Sit at the Table Literary Hub (14.07.2016)

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