The Back of the Turtle: Thomas King's first literary fiction in 15 years
Thomas King, the award-winning author of The Inconvenient Indian, joins Jian to discuss his first literary novel in 15 years, The Back of the Turtle.
King reflects on the fraught relationship between humankind and nature, why he writes about historic injustice with humour, and what it means to renew the national conversation about reconciliation with aboriginal people.
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The writer also shares why he prefers writing fiction to non-fiction. He says the latter, despite earning him numerous accolades, is like "herding porcupines with your elbows".
Dancing on the edge
When asked how he brings humour to serious subjects, without undermining their gravity, King compares it to dancing "right on the edge," adding that humour is a strategy for getting past people's defenses.
"When I was a native activist, I spent a lot of time doing these firebrand speeches and shaking my fist at people and getting really angry with the situation that native people were facing," he tells Jian.
"I learned very quickly that to be angry about something does not mean anybody's gonna listen to you."