“I want a book to contain a world - indeed the world. Writing is my main means of engagement with the world and I want the scars of that engagement to be left in the language.” WorldWantWritingMeanBookLeftLanguageEngagementScar Author:Aleksandar Hemon
“I've read books in school that were written by ideological rote - they were brainwashers. Therefore, any art, any literature, that has a clearly defined political goal is repellent to me.” ArtBookSchoolPoliticalLiteratureGoalWrittenDefinedIdeological Author:Aleksandar Hemon
“I like the idea of a book being a democratic space which readers enter, carrying their own thoughts, and participate in a conversation, or experience of grace.” BookIdeasSpaceGraceReaderConversationDemocratic Author:Aleksandar Hemon
“Whatever solidarity I have established with other writers individually, it is usually organized around books. We connected as readers, as it were, not writers.” BookReaderConnectedOrganizedSolidarity Author:Aleksandar Hemon
“To me, the solidarity of readers is far more important than the solidarity of writers, particularly since readers in fact find ways to connect over a book or books, whatever they may be.” WayMayImportantBookFactsReaderSolidarity Author:Aleksandar Hemon
“My books have been published all over Europe. They read me there, and I want to read them back. I also spend a lot of time in Europe, often meeting writers, and I'm sick of apologizing for the embarrassing shortage of translations in America.” BookSickMeetingsApologizingEmbarrassingTranslations Author:Aleksandar Hemon
“There is a logic [to my reading], but I can't define it. I like reading impulsively. I collect books, I have a lot of them, but most of them I have not read yet. I'll read them when they call me from the shelf.” I CanBookReadingLogicCall MeShelves Author:Aleksandar Hemon
“I actually didn't listen to the Beatles song 'Nowhere Man' when I was writing my book of the same name. What I listened to a lot was 'Abbey Road.' Its disjointedness and its readiness to confuse only to delight were inspiring to me.” MenWritingBookSongNamesDelightReadinessAbbeyAbbey Road Author:Aleksandar Hemon
“To me there's no difference between a book of stories and a novel - they're just slightly different shapes.” BookDifferentStoriesDifferencesNovelShapes Author:Aleksandar Hemon
