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PEN Lecture: The Fictional Space
PEN Lecture: The Fictional Space
Literature sorts fact from fiction in the face of authoritarianism
Literature sorts fact from fiction in the face of authoritarianism
We live in an era of unprecedented access to information, yet power and authority often present fiction as fact.
As a writer and lawyer, Shankari Chandran recognises fiction’s limitations in delivering justice. But her interviews with survivors of Sri Lankan genocide inform her novels, which provide a powerful opportunity to explore and reveal stories, history, war and injustice. Fiction is a crucial space for truth-telling, especially when official channels are blocked.
In this lecture, hear the Miles Franklin Literary Award winner speak to her use of fiction as a living, communal archive.
“Australia is also growing up. It’s flawed, as all countries and all people are; still grappling with its colonial history and often still deeply uncomfortable with it, unwilling and unable to acknowledge the true and ongoing impact of colonisation; energetic about the virtues of multiculturalism but still sometimes prescriptive about the terms and conditions of entry into its society for those who don’t look like its majority.”
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