The Diplomat-Novelist Tradition

Former Indian Ambassador to the US and UK Navtej Sarna joins the podcast to discuss historical fiction, meeting Khushwant Singh, and how 20th-century British Raj novels are viewed in modern India.Ambassador Sarna served in the Indian Foreign Service for 38 years, serving as India's Ambassador to Isreal, India's Ambassador to the U.S. under the first Trump Administration, and India's High Commission to the U.K. He has written 11 books, including novels, short story collections, histories, and translations. His most recent novel is "Crimson Spring," which tells the story of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre during the British Raj. If you'd like to support this work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Subscribe now Robert Fay is a U.S.-based writer who has written for The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Review of Books, First Things, The Chicago Quarterly Review, and other publications. He is also the creator and host of theLiterature & Geopolitics podcast.