cover of episode The Sunday Read: ‘An Acerbic Young Writer Takes Aim at the Identity Era’

The Sunday Read: ‘An Acerbic Young Writer Takes Aim at the Identity Era’

2024/10/20
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This chapter introduces Tony Tulathimutte, a talented young writer known for his candid approach to contemporary identity politics in his fiction.
  • Tony Tulathimutte is a Thai-American writer known for his bold and candid writing about identity politics.
  • His short story 'The Feminist' explores the transformation of a self-proclaimed feminist ally into a violent anti-feminist.
  • Tulathimutte's writing is characterized by its moral and imaginative sympathy, allowing readers to understand the pain and isolation that lead to radicalization.

Shownotes Transcript

There was something distinctly unrelaxed about the way that Tony Tulathimutte, one of the more talented young writers at work in America today, announced the publication of “The Feminist,” a new short story, back in the fall of 2019.

“To be clear in advance,” Tulathimutte wrote on Twitter, “feminism is good, this character is not good.”

These days, when the faintest gust of heterodoxy is enough to start an internet stampede, it may be wise to put some moral distance between yourself and your protagonists, but as Tulathimutte soon found out, it’s no guarantee you won’t be caught in the crush.

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