Which non-literary piece of culture-film, tv show, painting, song-could you not imagine your life without? Some poems from Alfonsina Storni, Alejandra Pizarnik, Anne Carson… I don’t know why, It’s like reading a mantra.

The novella Too Far From Home, by Paul Bowles. Which book(s) do you return to again and again?Īntonio Di Benedetto’s stories, Kafka’s stories, Tobias Wolff’s stories, Shirley Jackson’s stories. I need to keep moving to catch new ideas.

I try to only sit down when I feel an urge to write. I read, walk, listen… If I don’t have an idea of what to write next I stay away from my desk. It could sound a little dumb, but I love it. Writing wherever and whenever I want is my rebel commonplace. On public transport, in waiting rooms, on planes… sometimes I can even take notes in the restroom in the middle of a party. But, when an idea traps me I will work on it for the rest of the day. I don’t mean to say that I don’t have an everyday routine. For me it is less so about the time of the day and more about my state of mind. Mornings, afternoons, nights… Any time can work. What games did they make up and play? What did they day dream about? So I think I would enjoy being asked questions along those lines. So I prefer questions about writing processes, readings, life experiences… Even when I read interviews from other authors, those are the questions I like the most. I can’t answer your question too specifically, but I am curious as to how authors used their imaginations as children. Everything I wanted to say about the book is in the book. Really! I know it’s necessary for books to circulate and reach more readers, and I love people reading my books… it’s not about that. When I finish a book, it is finished. What do you always want to talk about in interviews but never get to?Įverything except my book. And I know how mushy this could sound, but I loved being still read by my grandmother Susana. They have too much action, too many words, too much of everything in comparison with his minimalist prose. Kjell Askildsen, although I imagine that he wouldn’t like them. Who do you most wish would read your stories? Samanta Schweblin’s novel, Little Eyes, is out now, so we asked her a few questions about reading, writing, and what she likes to watch.

Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin