NL Interviews: Manu Joseph on his third novel Miss Laila

A journalist whose primary impulses are literary, Manu Joseph talks about his new novel Miss Laila Armed and Dangerous which was released last week. In a wide-ranging conversation, he reflects on how different it was to write a novel addressing contemporary themes by transcending the immediacy of analysis and topicality that usually define journalistic work. He dwells on his idea and craft of storytelling and how he used pranks as a literary device in his latest work. Joseph speaks of the risks of making thinly disguised characters from real life as characters in his fiction and why he finds child characters fascinating to weave certain aspects of his narrative. Replying to a question about his clear conclusions about a key incident in his story, he explains why the lack of judicial scrutiny gives a certain freedom for fiction writers to arrive at their own sense of justice. He also ponders over the question on why North India has still not become a backdrop to his works of fiction.

Talking about his parallel profession of journalism, Joseph asserts that there must be a separation between activism and journalism, as important a wall as between journalism and corporations. He lambasts the hypocrisy of left liberals in India for their selective defence of the freedom of expression. Expressing his faith in his readership, Manu Joseph explains why he counts on his readers to see through the unfair way in which he is targeted for his inconvenient views and writing. Here’s the interview: