Zee Jaipur Literature Festival 2017: ‘The Sellout' took an emotional toll on me, says Paul Beatty

The Sellout' is a raucous tragicomedy that chronicles the legacy of slavery, racial and economic inequality in the United States and a work that "plunges into the heart of the contemporary American society."

Jaipur: American writer Paul Beatty today said that his latest novel 'The Sellout', which won him the coveted Man Booker Prize last year, took an "emotional toll" on him, and was the closest reflection of what had been going on in his head for many years.

The 54-year old Los Angeles-born writer was speaking at the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival here.

The book is a raucous tragicomedy that chronicles the legacy of slavery, racial and economic inequality in the United States and a work that "plunges into the heart of the contemporary American society."

"It felt good to become the first American writer to win the award. It feels good to get recognised," he said.

"Post-racial means nothing to me. People are obsessed with labels and sometimes use them without knowing what they mean," he said, adding that the world is facing an "unprecedented rise in anger and fear".

"Anger, fear is not only present in the US, it is the reality of the world," he said.

Having been turned down by no less than 18 times by publishers before being adjudged as the winner of the 50,000-pound prestigious award, Beatty said that it takes a great deal of time to write a successful book.

The author, who does not follow any set pattern or routine for his writing, and writes whenever he feels the urge, said the tone of 'The Sellout' "reflects what America is today".

Beatty was in conversation with Meru Gokhale, the Editor-in-Chief of Literary Publishing at Penguin Random House in India.