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Sreeja V
@Wordsmith · 1:48
A Beautiful Decay: In conversation with Author Karan Madhok
Karan Madok is an Indian writer, editor and journalist whose debut novel A Beautiful Decay has been published by the Alice Book Company. In October 2022. His short story Public Record appeared in the anthology A Case of Indian Marvels that bazzling stories from the Country's finest new writers. Published by Alice Book Company in 2022 and edited by David. David Curren's creative work has been published in Epiphany Gargoyle Magazine, The Literary Review, The Bombay Review, The Lantern Review, Friction and more
Karan Madhok
@karanmadhok · 4:28
I did a master's program in Washington, DC. And I was working on manuscript. I was trying to come up with ideas for I've been trying to write an important novel or at least something that I can be proud of my whole life. And in Kansas, which is far away from where I was in DC. But still, it was in America, a couple of young Indians were shot at in a bar. And they were young Indian engineers, I think
Sreeja V
@Wordsmith · 1:15
Karun, I very much enjoy your writing, and it's very refreshing. And I think you are a rising star. So look forward to more of your writings and, you know, and also look forward to unraveling a lot of the process here, you know, in this conversation. And this whole concept of the Oppressor and the oppressed and the ever changing dynamics of it all is very intriguing. The geopolitical aspect of it, the cultural aspect. Right
Karan Madhok
@karanmadhok · 3:01
It can be the emotional feel, maybe a feeling of loss or a feeling of love or a feeling of anger that you've out at this particular moment. So I use it a lot in my fiction and my nonfiction. But as I said, I use it more as a jigsaw puzzle that I'm rearranging over and over again to create something completely new
Sreeja V
@Wordsmith · 0:38
Thank you for that example, Karan. And yes, I think the writer's imprint is always there in many facets of the work. And interesting to know that the Karaoke bar is the one such example that you've used here. My next question is the book is about two different worlds, yet uncannily similar in their deprivation. As a writer, how challenging was this process for you, the exploration of this entire concept?
Karan Madhok
@karanmadhok · 2:54
Because sometimes there are certain moral truths. But then also you can extend it to say there are some things that are culturally the smaller things which aren't right or wrong, but they're culturally very important to know about wherever you are. So to me, that was really exciting to actually explore having one leg on each continent. So to say, I really enjoy sort of the power that fiction gives you. The power that narrative voice, like domination narrative voice I used for Vishnu in this novel
Sreeja V
@Wordsmith · 0:12
In many ways, this book could be a reality check for those starry eyed young Indians besotted with the American dream. Would you agree?
Swell Team
@Swell · 0:15
Karan Madhok
@karanmadhok · 1:40
You are stepping into a place where your identity is challenged as someone in your standing, social standing in your community is challenged because your community might not be the same anymore. So these are just things that I feel that any migrant immigrant going to a new situation would feel like. I feel that regarding Indians who go abroad to a place like America with this kind of American Dream, there's a character that speaks about this issue that the American Dream can be ugly, but it can be beautiful too