A writer and publicist who has already written more than a dozen books and won several awards. His books have been translated into several languages, and he himself translates books by other authors from German into Slovak. He works at the Goethe Institute, points out disinformation and its impact on society, devotes himself to his family, and his unfulfilled dream is to travel Europe on night trains. Read the interview with Michal Hvorecký.
Writing is in your blood, so to speak; your grandfather and father also published professional books. How do you remember your beginnings in writing?
I started spontaneously, one night, and I haven't stopped since. But I still doubt myself. I have to write, but that doesn't mean the result is always good. Books have always played a special role in our family. My father and grandfather wrote scientific books, textbooks, professional papers, on economics, on mathematics, on computer science. I have always been drawn to stories, to storytelling.
How would you characterize your work? Who are your readers?
The older I get, the more diverse things I write. I have already published two children's books, illustrated by Simona Čechová, which were surprisingly successful: Bratislava - the Magical Metropolis and The Painter and the Boy. In the fall of 2019, I published the comic book Čierna oslava, which was drawn by Klára Štefanovičová based on my script. I mainly write prose. I write for various audiences, from children to seniors.
Many of your books have been translated into foreign languages. I assume it's not easy to break into foreign markets, how did you manage that?
I was most successful in German. I have an excellent translator in Berlin who has supported me for twenty years, since my beginnings. In the meantime, we have become friends, we visit each other, we have experienced a lot together. I also go to German-speaking countries for performances, I have completed three tours. In 2021, my utopian novel Tahiti will also be published in German. I have a good publisher there. That is a gift for an author.
In addition to writing, you also translate from German and work at the Goethe Institute... What are you currently doing?
Most of all, to my family. I have three children, which is a great beauty and joy, but also hard work. I don't have time to procrastinate. When I'm sitting at the computer, I turn off social networks and try to write. In the winter, I will translate the third book by Austrian writer Martin Pollack. His books The American Emperor and Death in the Bunker were well received in Slovak. I believe that an excellent travelogue of Galicia and Bukovina will also be of interest. And I regularly moderate various debates, mainly about culture and society. And I read a lot.
What books do you read?
I read passionately and a lot. I am particularly interested in German-written literature, because I work with it daily. In the past, I have been interested in novels by great women authors, for example. Annette Hess: The Trial or Angelika Schrobsdorff: You Are Not Like Other Mothers. I like authentic, powerful stories. And I also enjoy fantasy, for example, books by Neil Gaiman, most recently his Insights from the Last Row. Good books make life better.
Your book The Wilsons became the basis for the film of the same name. Were you satisfied with its adaptation?
With all modesty, I think the book is better than the film. The source material is a spooky story from 1923 about old Wilsonov (Bratislava), a Central European metropolis that will not become part of Czechoslovakia, but will remain a free city. I am fascinated by history and its untapped possibilities or wasted opportunities. It is my literary passion.
In the novel Troll, you address the phenomenon of disinformation, conspiracies, and their impact on society. Why did you decide to highlight a current topic in this way?
I am fascinated and scared by how propaganda is developing. We live in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. When I was a child, it was different. My brother and I knew that the opposite of what is written in the daily newspaper Pravda is actually true. Today, problems are global and what is happening on the opposite side of the globe often affects small Slovakia. Most propaganda does not appear to be propaganda, and people often do not know that they are being deceived and manipulated. Exposing fake news is much more time-consuming than inventing it. But you have to start with yourself. Question your own positions, verify your sources, and do not be afraid to admit a mistake or error. I have treated the topic literary, in a book set in the near future, which is dangerously similar to the present.
You are also part of the Conspirators project, which helps advertisers avoid displaying their ads on websites with deceptive, fraudulent, and unserious content. How can “ordinary people” avoid this content, how can they detect propaganda or conspiracies?
Everyone can start from themselves. Most importantly, verify the sources and the author. Don't believe every piece of crap that promises to cure cancer instantly. Think carefully before spreading something. Don't just read the catchy headline, but also the text itself and to the end. Investigate whether the tempting video is seven years old and filmed in another country, as the label claims. Isn't the photo faked? And especially don't be afraid to question your own beliefs and attitude.
At the end of last year, your second children's book "The Painter and the Boy", a tribute to Ľudovít Fulla, illustrated by Simona Čechová, was published. Tell us a little more about it.
It is a picture book, a picture book for children and adults. I perceive books as artifacts. Simona Čechová and I understand each other, we complement each other in our work. We try to create works that people would like to perceive visually and textually. The fairy tale takes place in Fulla's villa - gallery. We will guide the reader through Fulla's work and his fascinating, versatile creativity. We remind you that he was not only a painter, but also an illustrator of children's books, a set designer and a designer. I was pleased that they invited us to Ružomberok for the exhibition as well as a reader. And now Simona's pictures can also be seen in Danubiana.
You are not only interested in literature, but also in art as such. What fascinates you most about art?
Only art can make the experience of others our own, with all the hardship or joy that comes with it.
Do you have any unfulfilled dreams that you would still like to achieve?
I would love to travel around Europe on night trains, especially places I haven't visited yet. And on each one, I would go to the opera, the library, and the club.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I like walks in the forest, hikes and trips. I like to go on foot. I also like to swim, especially in lakes. And I do pull-ups on the bar, that's my favorite exercise. A bar on the door or outside in the park is enough for me. Since I was thirty, I have been suffering from back pain at my height and training helps me a lot.
We would like to thank the Slovak National Gallery - Kornel and Nade Földvário Library exhibition for providing the space for photography.
