Drago Jančar: “My generation has been always dreaming of democracy, but we woke up in capitalism”
The first novel “I saw her that night” was published by the Science Book Printing House (in 2014) and thus, the Romanian public had the opportunity to read one of the most popular Slovenian contemporary writers, Drago Jancar. A former opponent to the absurd socialist regime he fought through the written word, he received the European Prize for Literature in 2011 and he is the only writer awarded three times with the prestigious Slovenian literary trophy – The Kresnik Prize for prose.
You are often described as the best known Slovenian contemporary writer. How do you relate to this description?
When one is at the beginning of his career, this sort of statements are definitely much enjoyable and there is a true desire to be considered an important writer. But once you become an appreciated writer, this status feels a bit heavy on your shoulders. Once you are famous, everyone asks all sorts of questions and expects you to provide only wise answers, problem solving answers.
Not to mention the fact that everyone expects that your next book is even better than your previous one, something that is not always possible. In fact, every time you start writing, you are at the point you were at the start. A good thing about this is that they start translating your work into several languages and you become known in other parts of the world.
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