Kiran Desai

Kiran Desai, the celebrated Booker Prize–winning novelist, discusses her long-awaited new novel, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, after nearly two decades. She reflects on the intense pressure of literary prizes and the evolving landscape of South Asian writing. Desai delves into how migration and loneliness shape her characters and the weight of history in storytelling. She also examines the impact of political issues like Hindu nationalism on her work and the role of literature in fostering empathy, particularly in a culturally rich but complex India.