
About this episode
Deepa Anappara discusses six things that should be better known, including her literary works and themes of colonialism and cultural identity.
Deepa Anappara discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Deepa Anappara’s debut novel, Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, was named as one of the best books of the year by the New York Times, Washington Post, Time, Guardian and NPR. It won the Edgar Award for Best Novel, was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, and shortlisted for the JCB Prize for Indian literature. It has been translated into over twenty languages. Anappara is the co-editor of Letters to a Writer of Color, a collection of personal essays on fiction, race, and culture. The Last of Earth is her second novel and is available at https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-last-of-earth/deepa-anappara/9780861548620 19th century British mapping of Tibet by Indian surveyors https://royalsociety.org/blog/2023/09/mapping-india/ Cartography as a tool for furthering imperialism https://www.theelephant.info/analysis/2026/01/21/cartographic-colonialism-and-the-true-size-of-africa/ How we can find the colonised's experience in the coloniser's records and archives? https://shura.shu.ac.uk/30780/3/Cere-UncoveringColonialLegacy%28AM%29.pdf The problems with 'Show, Don't Tell' and other similar creative…
People in this episode
Host: Ivan Wise
Guest: Deepa Anappara
Topics covered
- literature
- colonialism
- creative writing
- cultural identity
- mapping history
- Indian literature
Keywords
- Deepa Anappara
- Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line
- colonialism
- creative writing
- Indian literature
- mapping Tibet
- cultural essays
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: New York Times, Washington Post, Time, Guardian, NPR, Royal Society, The Elephant, V&A
Books & works: Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, Letters to a Writer of Color, The Last of Earth
More episodes of Better Known
- Tahmima Anam · June 7, 2026 · 30 min
- Séamas O'Reilly · May 31, 2026 · 30 min
- Ed Maklouf · May 24, 2026 · 28 min
- Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen · May 17, 2026 · 30 min
- Charles Moore · May 10, 2026 · 30 min
- Sean Murphy · May 3, 2026 · 30 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Better Known podcast page.