Hi everyone,
I am writing a novel set in India during the late 1940s and the government sanctioned Sikh genocide in New Delhi in the 1980s. I am using a couple of real people: politicians and policemen who have been accused by many eyewitnesses, but have never been convicted, of inciting "riots" against the Sikhs. In Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie, for example, created a character called Indira Gandhi in order to have a conversation with her, but she was already dead. Some of these people are still alive so my question is can I still use them as characters if I develop them and use their names? If I change their names, it will be obvious who I am referring to. Thanks in advance for your help!
Best,
Navdeep
www.NavdeepSinghDhillon.com
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Navdeep Singh Dhillon
Writer and Photographer.
www.NavdeepSinghDhillon.com
www.IshqInABackpack.com
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Nov 3, 2009 - 18 45
I've been reading an historical novel where the names of prominent people have been changed but it's still obvious who they are and it is incredibly annoying. I don't think it's a good solution.
As a general answer, .I see the options as 1. create another character who might have existed but obviously didn't to fill a role, or 2. use your real people but get them as close as possible to how they should be. If you can show that you've done your homework, you can usually get away with more in making "artistic" changes.
However, if you are portraying real people who are alive in a negative manner, then you're entering a murky area. Murky in the sense of a large fog-covered swamp.
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Nov 4, 2009 - 08 26
Duplicate post, please refer new responses to this thread
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