T here is pin drop silence in the lecture hall at Goethe Zentrum Trivandrum. All ears are tuned in to Tanja Dueckers, one of the top 40 litterateurs in Germany. The author who has written several novels, children’s books, and poems is sharing her views on ‘Der Berlin Roman’ (image of Berlin in German literature). After a question and answer session with the audience, Tanja, who is a columnist for various leading German dailies, is free to talk to MetroPlus . Excerpts from an interview:
Literary journey
As a child, my mother entrusted me to send out Christmas letters to friends and relatives as I had a flair for writing. I guess my interest in writing thus began, with me penning little stories about the notable events in my family’s life each year. I used to travel by the metro while in school. As it took close to an hour to reach my destination, I would observe the people around me and write a string of poems on them. I cringe when I read them now, though. But having said that, I still write poetry. It was while I was pursuing my higher education in the United States that I started to pen stories. I find that putting my views and thoughts down on paper helps me see and place things in a larger perspective.
Berlin, a muse
For me, writing about Berlin makes sense as it is the city I know best; I was born and brought up in Berlin. Although I have travelled and have lived extensively across the globe, Berlin is home. The city has an amazing political history; it was the capital of the Third Reich, it was divided as a double-, twin- and frontier- city during the Cold War, its role in the movements of 1968, the fall of the Iron Curtain…. There are also ancient myths surrounding the city. I try to bring the city in the background of my stories. But I do write stories set in other cities too. For instance, Longest Day Of The Year , is about an immigrant who lives in a trailer in the United States. Celestial Bodies is partly set in Poland.
A language of her own
I developed my own language called ‘Autumnic’ as I hated people reading over my shoulder while I was penning my thoughts on the metro. Unfortunately, my language drew in more gazes as people were curious to know what language I was writing in. I still use Autumnic to pen my most private of thoughts.
For private viewership
I have created two comic strips for my family and friends. The first is an animal figure called Blub. He has three antennas which he uses to smell out chocolate, liquor rice and gum drops. He is a funny, lovable character. The Mouse, which is about a mouse, is a dig at me. The mouse is all that I am, left handed, a little bit silly, a bit of a hypochondriac…
Writing for children
I have published two books for children. Both focus on fears children deal with. For instance, one of the books is about children fearing monsters in their closet. When writing for children I don’t ‘dumb’ down the language for them; I just use simple words. I also try not to preach.
Character, the hero
I enjoy observing people and my characters are usually an amalgamation of people I know. For me, unless the character is well etched out, the story falls short.
Indian literature in Germany
To be honest, apart from contemporary authors such as Arundhati Roy and Salman Rushdie, I am not too familiar with Indian literature and I don’t think many Germans are either.
Up and coming
I am currently working on a novel about the changing family values in Germany, but it will take some time for it to reach the shelves. As this is my first time to India, I would like to write a poetic travel diary about my journey in the country. After Thiruvananthapuram, I will be attending the Bangalore Literary Festival.
