Empathy for opposing views key to storytelling: Kannada author

Kannada author Vasudhendra said at the Book Brahma Literature Festival in Bengaluru on Friday that understanding opposing viewpoints is essential for honest storytelling. Speaking at a masterclass, he said stories emerge when writers look at the world from a perspective they may not like. He warned that activists who turn to fiction often struggle to step outside their own worldview.

Vasudhendra, who is openly gay, cited writing about homophobia as an example. He said if he portrayed all homophobic people as villains, he would be a poor storyteller. Only by accepting that they may lack knowledge about homosexuality, he said, does the story emerge. He also noted that truth in literature differs from truth in journalism or law, and that factual inaccuracies do not necessarily make a story untrue if it builds reader empathy.

A panel discussion on literary tradition and contemporary writing was also held at the festival. Writer Krishnamurthy Hanur said understanding past literary and political developments is fundamental to modern writing, and questioned whether Kannada literature can be discussed without classical figures like Pampa and Kumaravyasa.