Award-winning author Arundhati Roy discusses why she's not afraid to address politically charged topics.
Video Duration 28 minutes 00 seconds 28:00

Award-winning author Arundhati Roy discusses her work which focuses on social injustice, and why she’s not afraid to address politically charged topics.

Since winning the Booker Prize in 1997 for her debut novel, author Arundhati Roy has not shied away from political issues. Whether she is writing fiction, nonfiction, or political essays, she focuses on social injustice.

The internationally acclaimed writer is an outspoken critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration. She describes India as a super poor nation, with a government that disempowers its citizens and silences dissent. Her activism goes beyond the pages of her books – she has also taken part in demonstrations against Modi’s policies. Supporters describe her as unrelenting in holding the political establishment to account. But critics accuse her of being divisive and anti-India. Despite what she calls scandal after scandal in the country, she is optimistic that political change is on the way.