Olga Tokarczuk, Nobel Prize in Literature 2018: Official interview

Interview with the 2018 Nobel Laureate in Literature Olga Tokarczuk, 6 December 2019
0:00 - Your parents were both teachers. How did that influence you?
1:35 - Did you enjoy school?
2:31 - What did you want to be when you were younger?
3:59 - How has your training as a psychologist affected the way you tell stories?
5:19 - Which experience has most influenced your work?
6:07 - What do you enjoy most about the process of writing?
8:27 - Do you think there are specific qualities that you need to be a good writer?
8:59 - Which book of yours would you recommend a new reader to start with?
9:55 - Who has most influenced you as a writer?
11:31 - How can we make women’s voices more heard in literature - and beyond?
13:14 - You unmask borders and nationalism in your work. Can you tell us about this theme?
15:30 - Would you say that travel and movement is a key theme in your work?
16:58 - How does the issue of sustainability appear in your work?
18:48 - Tell us about the foundation you’re creating using the prize money?
20:02 - What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to aspiring writers?
21:02 - A reading from ‘Bieguni’ (‘Flights’) by Olga Tokarczuk, in Polish.

[@Thereal_prettyinblack]

I'm Polish, teaching geograhy and science in secondary school in the UK. Last week we had an assembly and we spoke about reading. teachers were raising hands to share what they read with the kids and I raised a hand too. I said I don't have much time to read paper books anymore but I drive 2 hrs a day so I listen to audiobooks. Recently it is 'Dom dzienny, dom nocny'' and I told them about O.Tokarczuk, Nobel Prize for Polish writer and how much it means to me to stay in touch with my mother's tongue thanks to her. How priceless it is when I listen to her words and find my own thoughts in it... I read Bieguni, Plug, Ksiegi J, Anne....O.Tokarczuk is equally important as Marquez and Umberto Eco in my mind.

[@saintpatris]

She truly is our national treasure! Much love!

[@marcinmikulski3579]

Nobel for Olga Tokarczuk was the only moment in my life when I felt proud being a polish.

[@Magdalenewisdom]

Her books tell me that she is a True Wise-woman.

[@arghyabanerjee4702]

Congratulations mam💐❤️

[@jojomobile1851]

I really appreciate this channel. God bless.

[@brucehalev7428]

A fine balance between the earth, people and a mystical journey some of us seek.

[@heony6004]

Thank you interview Olga

[@bindutandon3260]

My Book Club in Mumbai is reading Drive Your Plough..... I've finished reading it...I found reading it a strange experience. 1. Poland is absolute virgin territory. I was astounded at the descriptions of 'poor looking homes' which later turned out to have all amenities. this because I kept comparing with poor homes in India. no comparison. 2. I kept seeing Janina refer to herself as 'old biddy', etc and was somewhat upset, because I am 60 plus. unearthed that there are times when I am an old woman. it hurts though. 3. We have an ancient, 5000 yr old tradition of astrology and astronomy. Kept trying to understand your stuff while pretending to disagree with it. Finally the strong Venus and lazy Venus convinced me of its veracity if not parallel. I too am often a lazy Venus. and a writer now. 4. your integrity was never at doubt even if your sanity was. strange how we forgive you for murder. 5. I wonder how the largely meat eating population took your condemnation. I am a vegetarian so had no problem. I shudder at sight and smell of meat. 6. pg 123. harmony was a good point., pg 128 was brilliant on 'spring', 130, cat & hat made me laugh. in fact lots of surprising subtle humour through the book. lots more I liked. 7. pg 229 was an interesting q about god. pg 239 was very acute about 'anger', pg 243 had a brilliant understanding of 'power', pg 244, brilliant line on trees, pg 244. me too on mercury retrograde. Finally the denouement where we don't blame he for the murders. Makes you think that all morality is such a relative thing. So contextual. So unabsolute. Simply written but with depth and originality and life. Thank you

[@radoslaw108]

wow!!!!

[@user-yn7rk5cf8m]

I LOVE HER! AN ABSOLUTE QUEEN!

[@adityavikram5445]

Olga Thaink you very very much

[@tbasparagi]

I needed about 25+ sittings to finish "Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead", but I really enjoyed Janina. I really did!

[@user-jz9uq9pd8t]

Excellent! Thank you very much for the interview.

[@radoslaw108]

Olga the super-human:)she makes us the better people...

[@rutanyaalda2222]

love her

[@ajeetbaliyan8896]

Thank you for uploading this

Thank you :)

[@pabasheer9831]

Please upload her some writing in English on Nobel prize site.

[@ramdularsingh1435]

You are as lucky as you are brilliant at writing !... You got success and honour so early....

[@deniseyabiku9267]

Love love love her!

[@pandeyistrying]

Anyone writer here? Ping me

[@k1k0000]

i love her

[@adityavikram5445]

Yes I am feel

[@markko0313]

My favourite author.

[@TheDadzik]

Ok, her English isn’t great but she writes very well. She deserved her award. ❤️

[@rajdeeppathak09]

Her English doesn't have to be good.

[@lestry7878]

Her English is very good though. I think people expect perfection when it isn't necessary. Her vocabulary is very big and even though she makes grammatical mistakes, it still doesn't affect comprehension.

[@massimoqualsiasi3444]

@@lestry7878 it's about fluency, i.e. the natural flow of thought, that the people mean. Not grammar or vocab, or whatever you feel you should defend for her.

[@janpek3093]

She just wants good PR her work is not that worth of attention

[@TheDadzik]

jan pek have you read every book?

[@magdalenamarsavelski2226]

Her book Primeval and other times is the most exciting and imaginative Book I ever read. Beautiful and mooving. Poetic and in the same time cruelly realistic. Fairytaly and touching saga aboute world, wars, human Nature.

[@zibifranz2429]

this is just another example of nobel prize devaluation, no real values in her confusing writing.

[@richardzachary6071]

Keep your throw-away comments to yourself. She is one of the best writers in the world.