The comment thread on my previous post is bothersome to trawl through but there’s some interesting debate going on in there. Though I was exploring my use of personal experiences for fiction, and the role that autobiography has to play, it is me saying that I won’t write one of those “small African girl in a dusty village” stories and quoting from Kuzhali Manickavel’s blog, that has created most interest.
Kuzhali has written a blog post – A Letter of Apology to the Muslim Village of No Good Horrible Very Bad Things With Legions of White Peacocks. Her comments section is also interesting and contains further links.
I have received lots of emails on the subject from people who would prefer not to make their thoughts public. I am fascinated by the silence of some I thought would have a say, and the sense that people are watching from the sidelines.
By the way – unless you agree one hundred percent with everything I say, you are clearly wrong.
Sara Crowley 