Erotica novels are making a comeback, say authors
Panelists at the ongoing Lucknow Literary Festival said that writers were changing their styles to incorporate more intimate scenes
LUCKNOW: The demand for sexually-charged content was growing among readers and erotica novels were making a comeback, observed panelists of the session - ‘fiction/ romance writing showcasing obscenity’ - during the ongoing Lucknow Literary Festival, here on Saturday. The panelists added that increasing demand for erotica was the reason why writers were changing their styles to suit the current times.
Vani Kaushal, author of ‘The Recession Groom’ said, “The readers’ appetite for sexual scenes is visible. When I wrote my first novel which did not have any intimate content apart from a simple kissing scene, my readers told me that they found something missing in the novel. While appreciative of the storyline and the writing, they advised me to incorporate some steamy scenes in my upcoming writings. That’s what I did with my second novel, which will be out in the market soon.”
Another young author, Sanil Sachar, writer of ‘ Summer Promises and Other Poems’ and ‘The Dark Side of Light’ said that obscenity was a relative concept. “How do you define obscenity? For someone, two flowers coming together could be obscene, while for others, kissing could be obscene. For some, it could be something even beyond this. Obscenity is all about perception,” said Sachar.
The author asserted that writing was a creative task. “Artists and writers have the freedom of creativity. However, they have a social responsibility too,” he said.
The third panelist, Sachin Garg, a bestselling Indian novelist, felt that there was a difference between romance and obscenity and that the two should be treated separately. “The time from 1960s to 80s was a time of Hindi erotica novels. After that there came a period when the readers stopped preferring such content,” he said, adding, “But that time is again coming back.”