Popular speculative fiction (SFF) author Samit Basu talks about his celebrated novel, 'Chosen Spirits,' and the current state of SFF in India.
In this episode, Samit Basu delves deep into the dystopian roots of his award-winning novel, Chosen Spirits. Samit incorporates several current concerns in his dystopian view of a futuristic New Delhi, like climate change, air pollution, breach of digital security, increasing class divide and communal unrest. We discuss the scope of dystopian writing for social commentary and the need to address pressing real life concerns in fiction. The episode ends with Samit sharing some much-needed advice to aspiring SFF writers in India.
About the Book:
Joey is a Reality Controller, in charge of the livestream of a charismatic and problematic celebrity in smog-choked, water-short, ever-transforming Delhi - a city on the brink of revolution, under the shadow of multiple realities and catastrophes - at the end of the 2020s.
When Joey impulsively rescues a childhood friend, Rudra, from his new-elite family and the comfortable, horrific life they have chosen for him, she sets into motion a chain of events — a company takeover, a sex scandal, a series of betrayals — that disintegrates not just their public and private selves, but the invisible walls that divide the city around them.
To find the lives they need, Joey and Rudra must reckon with people and forces beyond their understanding, in a world where trust is impossible, popularity is conformity, and every wall has eyes.
About the Guest:
Samit Basu is an Indian novelist, film director and screenwriter. Samit’s most recent novel, The City Inside, an anti-dystopian novel set in Delhi a decade from now, will be published by Tor.com in 2022. It was published in India as Chosen Spirits in 2020, was critically acclaimed, a bestseller in multiple categories in India, and shortlisted for The JCB Prize for literature. In books, Samit is best known for his fantasy and science fiction work.
This series is hosted by Yoshita Srivastava, literature collective associate at Belongg. She believes inclusive representation is essential for a better future — empathy being key in dismantling prejudice. She is interested in exploring intersections of gender, sexuality, identity and culture studies, and has previously worked at media and social sector organizations.
You can also listen to this and more by downloading Belongg’s app UnOther, spelt U_N_O_T_H_E_R which is available on both the Apple and Google app stores. To invite such experts to your organization for guest lectures or expert consultations, please also look at Belongg Circle, a platform that curates intersectional experts and makes it easy for a range of organizations to integrate such thinking in their work.