Shyam Selvadurai on writing gay characters

'I start with the assumption that the protagonist is always gay'

Shyam Selvadurai’s new book, The Hungry Ghosts, features a gay character. His previous books, Funny Boy and Cinnamon Gardens, also have main characters who are gay.

“I start with the assumption that the protagonist is always gay,” he says.

In the below video interview with Vivek Shraya, Selvadurai discusses his gay characters and the insatiable desires of hungry ghosts.

He also offers some writing tips to Shraya, who recently published a collection of short stories entitled God Loves Hair.

Shraya will be moderating a panel of notable young queer writers, Querying the Page, at the Palmerston branch of the Toronto Public Library on Tuesday, May 14.

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