In the latest interview in our series #WritersTalkPolitics, Githa Hariharan talks to Perumal Murugan on the influence of folklore on his fiction; the complexities involved in writing about caste relations; and finally, on poetry. Poetry, Murugan says, gives him the refuge he needs whenever he needs to calm down. It is no coincidence that the first book after the Madras High Court's judgement in his favour, is a book of poems. Listen to the entire conversation here:

Also see:

Perumal Murugan: A Parable of Our Times

“I have always stood with all my writers”: Kannan Sundaram in conversation with Souradeep Roy

Let Perumal Murugan the Writer Live Again!: Statement by the Indian Writers' Forum

Listen to T M Krishna Singing Perumal Murugan’s Verses of Exile

Appeal: Stop the Hounding of Writers on Social Media

​The ILF Bhasha Samman: A Salute to Perumal Murugan’s Spirit

In Favour of Free Speech: Full Minutes of the Madras High Court Ruling in Perumal Murugan’s Case

From Guftugu:

Five Poems by Perumal Murugan translated by K Satchidanandan

Watch: Perumal Murugan, T M Krishna, Shital Sathay and Sofia Ashraf Make a Music Video on Right to Privacy

More from #WritersTalkPolitics:

“Gauri Lankesh’s murder was the most vicious because she was a woman”: Ganesh Devy | Githa Hariharan in conversation with the linguist

Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar: “I don’t like being labelled as an adivasi writer” | Souradeep Roy in conversation with the writer and doctor

“A dictatorship counts on the silence of those who disagree​. . .​” | Ritu Menon in conversation with Nayantara Sahgal

Nayantara Sahgal: “The RSS Wants a Hindu Pakistan” | Souradeep Roy in conversation with Nayantara Sahgal

Sarayu Srivatsa on Dom Moraes and their Travelogue Out of God’s Oven | Souradeep Roy in conversation with the writer and architect

“Har Koi Chahta Hai Ek Mutthi Aasmaan” | Souradeep Roy in conversation with Kiran Nagarkar