The Politics of Fiction

In the midst of a global pandemic, a national struggle toward racial justice and a profoundly consequential U.S. election, this moment can be difficult to grasp. Can fiction help us make sense of it all and better understand what lies ahead? Do fiction writers have any responsibilities toward current events? Do readers?

Book critic Parul Sehgal welcomes Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Ayad Akhtar, and novelists Marlon James and Rachel Kushner to explore the intersection of fiction with our current political realities.