Brannavan Gnanalingam's latest novel ask the question, "Where does the Right go in a period of Nationalism?" and it seeks to answer this question by following the life, exploits, and disappointments of one Kartik Popat, child of immigrants, believer in nothing.
At a WORD Christchurch session at Tūranga Gnanalingam (writer, lawyer and prodigious novelist) sat down with Nic Low to talk about the current political landscape, its terrifying parallels with the 1930s, and the resentment that sits at the heart of Kartik, his protagonist. Kartik is a New Zealand version of the "model minority" that has sprung up in a variety of Western democracies in recent years - think Rishi Sunak, Vivek Ramaswamy, Kash Patel* and others - political figures who front for the parties and policies of the Right. Though he also admits that Kartik "came out of my head and I have to take credit for that". Usually when authors say something like that there's a sense of pride about it, but with Kartik being such a terrible person there's a sense that this is more of an apology than a claim to fame.
The Life and Opinions of Kartik Popat
And fame is part of the recipe that makes Kartik. Gnanalingam describes him, and the kind of real people he's based on as people who are "playing up to the dominant power structures AND they're awful human beings and also gigantic losers". He says that the foundation story at Kartik's genesis is drawn from real life in the form of conservative commentator Ann Coulter's appearance on Ramaswamy's The Truth podcast. She praised him for his views but revealed she would not vote for Ramaswamy to be President due to him being an Indian (or more correctly, the son of Indian immigrants). Gnanalingam says that at this moment Ramaswamy knows he's a gigantic loser, and that his subsequent comments where he said he appreciated Coulter sharing her views were "pathetic".
It also demonstrates the fundamental flaw in the plan of this kind of political "grifter" - they serve a purpose to the dominant power structure, usually to make things seem a bit less obviously racist, to make racist statements more palatable or acceptable, but as soon as they have served their purpose they'll be discarded (or told they're not Presidential material). There are examples of this "transactional" kind of politics in New Zealand too. Low chips in that certainly there are Māori examples of note locally. So clearly there's rich soil from which a Kartik Popat might grow. The book, Gnanalingam says, "is about the far right and shortcuts people take to power".
But what motivates this kind of character? Gnanalingam says in his telling that resentment plays a strong role. Kartik initially wants to be a filmmaker but he's lazy and doesn't find success so it's his resentment at this lack of success - and to some degree the pressure to be successful, a pressure common to children of immigrant parents - that points him in the direction he ends up taking. This "failed artist turns to the Far Right" has at least one very famous antecedent. He's also a character who from childhood has made accommodations to fit in, "he wants to be liked but doesn't know how to be liked". So maybe attention can fill love's shoes instead?
Kartik, Gnanalingam points out, doesn't really believe in anything - he'll go with whatever will get people to like him, "so there's no point debating someone like him" as you're just giving him the opportunity to make the points he wants to make. Far better to save your convincing arguments for an uncle who sometimes makes racist comments - you might be able to sway them if you can argue for what's good about The Treaty, or immigration, but engaging with the narratives of people like Kartik is to help them, not hinder them.
Of the degree to which the Wellington political scene that he portrays in the book is based on reality, Gnanalingam says that it's "baked into the fabric of Wellington" that you end up overhearing political rumours and gossip. He also has friends who have worked in Parliament and he's "got a good memory when people say stuff when they're drunk" or sometimes they're sober: "everyone knows I'm a writer but people still tell me stuff..."
Is there the possibility of redemption for someone like Kartik? Gnanalingam says that it's very hard to pull yourself out of a situation like that, once you're addicted to the attention it would be hard to stay out of the public eye. It's a dominant theme in his books - characters that do something they shouldn't and then don't know how to make amends.
Of satire, Gnanalingam says that it has the power to mock people in power. It's not as effective a tool for change as direct action but it does have the benefit of allowing you to present ideas without lecturing - you can make points while making someone laugh (certainly the excerpts that Gnanalingam read from the book were funny even as you knew the character saying the amusing things was trash). He reminds us that Hitler was a big Charlie Chaplin fan and he HATED The Dictator because of how well it mocked him. As Gnanalingam points out, "you can be ridiculous and stupid but also dangerous..."
Audience questions covered topics like the use of AI in the media and what effect that might have (compared with the use of media in the 1930s), how his legal work influences his writing, how the book might be received by US audiences, and the current media landscape (this is good longform journalism happening but if you want to read it you're going to have to put your money where your mouth is and support it).
*When Gnanalingam was writing this book, Kash Patel "was selling tank tops and t-shirts... he's now the Director of the FBI" (and a recent visitor to our shores for the purposes of announcing an FBI office in New Zealand).
Photos
Photos from the Brannavan Gnanalingam event
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