The Current Arundhati Roy: My mother and I were like two nuclear powers
Nov 3, 2025
In a revealing conversation, Arundhati Roy, a Booker Prize-winning novelist known for her powerful political commentary, delves into her complicated relationship with her mother, Mary. She illustrates how her mother's fierce spirit and trailblazing achievements shaped her writing. Roy candidly recounts her childhood experiences of Mary's rage and how literature became a pathway for expression. Discussing her memoir, she reflects on their bond's profound impact on her political activism, likening their relationship to 'two nuclear powers' in a tumultuous dance.
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Sharing A Complicated Mother
- Arundhati Roy wrote a memoir to share her complex mother, Mary, with the world and to honor her remarkable life.
- She recounts leaving home young and later reconnecting, framing Mary as both enthralling subject and painful presence.
Legal Victory For Women's Inheritance
- Mary Roy challenged the Travancore Christian Succession Act and won equal inheritance for women in the Supreme Court.
- Arundhati emphasizes this as a defining public achievement of her mother's courage and activism.
Childhood Humiliation Shaped Behavior
- Arundhati describes frequent childhood rages from Mary, including a humiliating plane incident that made her feel erased.
- She learned to mistrust safety and often sabotaged stability because home felt dangerous.
