Carving a Niche: An Interview with Temsula Ao
Authors :- L I Watitula and U Jana
Publication :- Postcolonial Text, Vol 19 No 1 & 2 (2024)
Ao’s creative works are some of the first few literary works from Nagaland and North-East India included in the curriculum of colleges and universities across India. Her writings have also contributed significantly to the academic discourse on Indian writings in English, with several scholarly works exploring the narrative and thematic engagements in her literature. The distinct thematic exploration of Ao’s works that document significant historical movements and narratives of the Naga5 community, which did not have a written history, received wide attention soon after the publication of her works and charted a new literary tradition among writers from the North-East. The new literature from the North-East reflects writers’ active involvement with the community’s narratives. The writers take ownership of these stories, utilizing the literary platform as a space for cultural resistance. In doing so, they craft their unique forms of expression, incorporating cultural elements into their writings.