ESQ: Our political climate is so polarized these days. How do you think about political fiction now?
GS: A story is a place where politics takes off its stiff clothing and puts on some pajamas. You suddenly see that politics always shows up in people's lives. Fiction gives those people room to move around. But this is where the skill comes in, because if it's just overt propaganda, fiction is very snobby about that. Even if the writer has strong political beliefs, it forces you to personify and particularize them. In that process, I've always found my political beliefs not exactly softening, but becoming more intelligent. They're more empathetic and a little more patient. Reading a story that has an ostensibly political basis does the same thing.
This story is from the October - November 2022 edition of Esquire US.
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This story is from the October - November 2022 edition of Esquire US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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