2 weeks ago
Meena Kandasamy on Abuse, Books, Technology and Writing
Meena Kandasamy is a writer who spoke about books, abuse and the internet.
She says a famous artist's work should not automatically excuse harmful behavior.
She also says people should not dismiss accusations simply by calling them political conspiracies.
At the same time, she believes every accusation needs to be considered carefully.
Kandasamy thinks books are still important when they offer deep and original ideas.
She says social media helps people find one another but can also turn feelings and anger into products.
The internet can break old barriers, but governments and companies can also use it to watch or influence people.
She says her politically active parents gave her unusual encouragement and restrictions.
She believes writing should be something a person truly feels called to do, not merely a way to escape other problems.
Meena Kandasamy says artists accused of abuse should not be protected by claims of literary genius.
She argues that allegations must be assessed carefully while warning against dismissing women as part of conspiracies.
Kandasamy rejects nostalgia about declining readership and says ambitious books can still matter.
She believes social media has widened access while turning outrage, vulnerability and attention into commodities.
Kandasamy credits her politically radical parents with shaping her writing, but says writing should be a calling rather than an escape hatch.
- Who
- Novelist and poet Meena Kandasamy spoke with publisher S Anand of Navayana.
- What
- They discussed abusive literary figures, accusations, the value of books, social media and Kandasamy's path as a writer.
- Where
- The conversation was conducted for Navayana and its unedited version was published on the Kissing Buffaloes Substack.
- When
- The interview was published alongside the release of Kandasamy's novel Fieldwork as a Sex Object, nearly two decades after her 2006 poetry debut.
- Why
- The interview examined how writers and literature should be understood amid abuse allegations, changing media habits and digital technology.
Kandasamy's Position
Arguments She Challenges
Art and the artist
Kandasamy's Position
Readers should complicate their understanding of classic works and have a lower tolerance for ongoing abuse rather than treating artistic merit as an excuse.
Arguments She Challenges
The traditional view is that a work can be judged separately from its creator, even when the creator is morally objectionable.
Abuse allegations
Kandasamy's Position
Kandasamy says accusations from women should not be dismissed as conspiracies and that informal testimony matters when legal systems can be hostile to women.
Arguments She Challenges
Supporters of accused men may argue that allegations are politically motivated, fabricated or part of a broader conspiracy, although Kandasamy says such claims are often used to protect powerful cliques.
Books and readership
Kandasamy's Position
Kandasamy rejects claims that writers have lost their former readership, arguing that strong books remain valuable and that weak writing is what faces displacement.
Arguments She Challenges
The opposing view is that writers no longer command the readership they once did and must adapt to formats such as short videos and social media.
Key facts
- Interviewee
- Meena Kandasamy, novelist and poet
- New novel
- Fieldwork as a Sex Object
- First poetry collection
- Touch, published in 2006
- Earlier recognition
- When I Hit You was shortlisted for the 2018 Women's Prize
- Publisher-interviewer
- S Anand of Navayana
- Digital concerns
- Kandasamy says social media can commodify outrage and vulnerability and can be used for surveillance.
- Writing view
- She says books remain relevant when they provide originality, gravitas and density.
Sources
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