Kämpfe um Fiktionen. Mithu Sanyals „Identitti“ zwischen Populärem Realismus und Postautonomie

This article examines the tension between authorship and identity in works of Popular Realism, using Mithu Sanyal’s novel “Identitti” as a case study. At its core is the question of the extent to which the identity of authors and their (potential) experience of and exposure to marginalization function as a criterion for legitimacy and as a determinant of popularity. The starting point for these reflections is a critical engagement with Moritz Baßler’s concepts of Popular Realism and New/Modern Midcult. A brief analysis demonstrates how these concepts can be applied to Sanyal’s novel, and the points of criticism identified in this context – particularly the insufficient separation of ethics and aesthetics – lead to a plea for a post-autonomous perspective. In this perspective, the intertwining of ethics and aesthetics as well as the authorization to narrate are recognized as a specific potential of contemporary literature.