I had the immense pleasure of interviewing German writer Esther Kinsky about her novel, Rombo, for the wonderful Public Books.
I read Rombo last year. As I mentioned in the interview, it was a spontaneous purchase – I knew of Kinsky but had not read anything by her before. Yet I recognised the energy and the uniqueness of the project even after skimming a couple of pages; I was hooked – and mystified – and I felt compelled to ask Kinsky about the book directly. Fortunately, she agreed to respond to my eight questions (which has turned into a bit of a thing), and did so with extreme thoughtfulness and grace.
Big thanks to Clare from Fitzcarraldo, Megan and co at Public Books and, of course, Esther.
Read The Past Survives in the Telling: Eight Questions for Esther Kinsky at Public Books.
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Lucky you, Tristan. Kinsky is one of my favourite living writers—I’ve read all four of her translated works including her first novel which was published by Seagull. I was interested to read her comments on Sebald (to whom people insist on comparing her). i’ve never warmed to Rings of Saturn either!
Thank you, Joe. It was a real treat to interview Esther – I really loved Rombo, I found its uniqueness so exciting and, for better or worse but hopefully better, I wanted to get to the bottom of what was happening in the text. She went beyond what I had hoped for with her answers.