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Quote by Sasa Stanisic

“It is a bit more challenging for the simple fact that now the stories I am writing are relying more on my imagination than on facts, more on research than on memory; so it is basically a slower writing process, more reading, more exploring. On the other hand, this approach is a little bit relieving too, since many times while writing [How the Soldieer Repairs the Gramophone] I felt too close and equal to my character.”

Quote by Sasa Stanisic

Author

Sasa Stanisic is a Serbian-German writer born on March 7, 1978. His works often explore identity, memory, and European history, particularly focusing on the conflicts and changes in the former Yugoslav region. more

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“It can stand in the way of narration in cases where we want the protagonist to actually go through some kind of catharsis while our own (non-fictional) experiences and stories lead to something banal or completely uninteresting.”

Way Want Kind Stories Cases Protagonists Catharsis Narration

Author:Sasa Stanisic

“By changing the way I experienced things, even just involving different details than in reality, I often felt I was betraying the past and playing an unfair game with the reader where he (of course) would ask himself "Did this really happen?"”

Way Different Reality Happens Past Courses Asks Games Felt Reader Details Betray Unfair Involving Fair Game

Author:Sasa Stanisic

“After multiple trips to Paris and being accused of participating in 'heinous' activities in regard to the state, I found my Romanian nationality revoked by 'presidential decree' in 1975. Because I hadn't asked for political asylum like everyone else, I had to live and travel with the infamous Nansen Passport from then on. This wasn't easy...I finally obtained my French citizenship in 1983.”

States Political Found Easy Activity Regard Presidential Paris Multiple Citizenship Accused Nationality Participating Asylums Decree Passports Infamous Being Accused

Author:Dumitru Tepeneag

“My first book published in France was translated and titled Exercices d'Attente in 1972. It was a collection of short works written and published in Romania. In 1973 I was ready to publish the novel Arpièges, which I had started writing in Romanian and of which I had published some fragments under the title Vain Art of the Fugue. Some years later, I finished Necessary Marriage.”

Writing Years Firsts Art Book Novel Written Ready Finished France Vain Titles Collections Fragments Publish Romania Fugue

Author:Dumitru Tepeneag

“Vain Art of the Fugue was the only one of my novels to be met with relative public recognition: it was nominated for the Prix Médicis by Alain Robbe-Grillet. Milan Kundera pocketed the prize instead and the public never clamored to buy it.”

Art Novel Mets Recognition Vain Prize Relative Milan Fugue

Author:Dumitru Tepeneag

“I had severed relations with the Romanian exiles who had become politically conservative and even extremely right wing; I was giving chess lessons to earn a living. Luckily we spoke quite a bit of French at home so it wasn't too difficult for me to write in my adopted language.”

Giving Writing Home Language Bits Difficult Lessons Relation Wings Conservative Chess Spokes Adopted Exile Right Wing

Author:Dumitru Tepeneag

“As my editor had no desire to frighten readers with the Romanian pages, he had them translated and published the whole thing in French in 1984. It was only years later, in Romania, that I was able to publish the book as I wrote it.”

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Author:Dumitru Tepeneag

“It's true that in Romanian I feel more relaxed, as if I'm wearing slippers...but I came to this decision primarily for other reasons: I had only published three collections of texts in Romania. Even before my exile I was prohibited from publishing, I was ignored and forgotten. In going back to Romanian I had the opportunity to take my revenge.”

Ifs Feels Reason Three Opportunity Decision Forgotten Revenge Collections Publishing Ignored Relaxed Exile Slippers Romania

Author:Dumitru Tepeneag

“For me, literature is the daughter of music: a bit heavy and more level headed than its mother. Literature submits to the same principles of successive perception, which allows it to build progressively.”

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Author:Dumitru Tepeneag

“The narrative image has more dimensions than the painted image - literature is more complex than painting. Initially, this complexity represents a disadvantage, because the reader has to concentrate much more than when they're looking at a canvas. It gives the author, on the other hand, the opportunity to feel like a creator: they can offer their readers a world in which there's room for everyone, as every reader has their own reading and vision.”

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Author:Dumitru Tepeneag