We live in an era of unprecedented access to information, yet power and authority often present fiction as fact.

As a writer and lawyer, Shankari Chandran recognises fiction’s limitations in delivering justice. But her interviews with survivors of Sri Lankan genocide inform her novels, which provide a powerful opportunity to explore and reveal stories, history, war and injustice. Fiction is a crucial space for truth-telling, especially when official channels are blocked.

In this lecture, hear the Miles Franklin Literary Award winner speak to her use of fiction as a living, communal archive.