He says his characters sometimes surprise him, exert influence, like the created binding the creator.
Unassuming and gentle Amitav Ghosh on Thursday spoke about how history fascinated him, how relating everything to Vedas could distort their original spirit and how the state was incapable of ensuring freedom of expression.
The prolific author was in the city for the launch of ‘Flood of Fire’, the final one in the Ibis trilogy, at David Hall Art Gallery at Fort Kochi.
An author who focuses on historical fiction, Ghosh says that he has always been fascinated by history but “one thing I realised is that history is bunk”. Trying to be accurate in historical details, he says, is helping him because it is easier to reach to facts which were real.
“I began writing about the past without any agenda and sometimes wondered how this would end. The art of writing is to allow your character to find their way,”, he said.
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