I think if you say that art and politics, or religion and politics, mustn’t mix, don’t mix, that is itself a political statement. Even if you are writing a 19th-century novel where the money comes from a plantation in the Caribbean and you don’t talk about that, that itself is a political thing.

In essence, Mohsin Hamid suggests that art and literature inherently carry political implications, whether or not they explicitly address political themes. He argues that by avoiding discussion of certain topics—such as the origins of wealth in a novel set during the 19th century that sidesteps mentioning Caribbean plantations—writers are making a statement about what should be considered important or ignored.

Hamid's deeper message is more nuanced and profound: he contends that every act of creation, whether intentional or not, has political ramifications. This means that by choosing to exclude certain elements from one’s work, such as the source of wealth derived from slave labor in colonial times, writers are reinforcing a particular narrative or ignoring crucial aspects of history. His perspective highlights how literature and art can influence public understanding and discourse on complex issues like social justice and historical accountability.

Mohsin Hamid is an acclaimed Pakistani novelist known for his thought-provoking novels that explore themes such as identity, politics, and the human condition in contemporary society. Born in 1971, he has gained international recognition for works like "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" and "Exit West," which often blend fiction with philosophical insights to address significant global issues.