interview lithuania

Interview with an author

Author Edmundas Untulis

Some books by E. Untulis

Questions about the past

When and why did you start writing? I started writing seriously when I was 16 because I wanted to

write down my point of a view and personal feelings.

Did you want to be a writer when you were young? I tried writing, but I didn‘t like, because I was criticized for

bad handwriting. I still haven‘t learned how to write nicely and probably will die like that.

Did you like reading as a teenager?I started reading since I was six years old, at school during the lessons of reading I was bored, so the teacher let me go for a walk, or let me read books from the library.

Inspiration

How do you get the inspiration? I don‘t know. But I am convinced if you want to

write, in that moment you can‘t look to other authors books, because you could start writing similar to others.

Could you talk about your daily routine when you are deeply inspired?

Nothing special. I just sit down and write when I‘m getting tired or out of ideas I just start doing something else and then go back to writing again.

Role model, favourite writers

Who is your favourite author? Do you prefer classical or contemporary literature?

When I was a kid I liked Mark Twain, Jack London. Now my favourite authors are Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Romualdas Granauskas. I like classical literature because it never gets old.

Writing process: time, place, themes

How do you write – planned - every day or spontaneously -when you get inspired? Why?

I write when I have inspiration because I don‘t need to rush. I want my books to be created naturally.

Do you develop the content while writing or do you decide on the end when you start writing a book?

For me it‘s not difficult to start to write and the hardest thing is to finish what I started.

Do you have a special place or time for writing?

It doesn‘t matter what time it is. But I don‘t write at nights. I think the most I like to write in the mornings. I like to write near the table or when I put my notebook on my knees. I can write everywhere. I wrote my books in Norway, Poland, Hungary. I like to write about places where I was. The most important thing for me is to write in lithuanian.

What are the main themes in your books? What grive and makes my heart happy, is coming

main topics. I love truthful and beautiful things so much; I like to lought from myself and from others, when we become stupid and forgethful everybody actually sometimes is … But anyway, I regret very much tis peolpe, who are oppressed by others ...And after all, all are unhappy … I write a lot about that and I also write about things which are very nice ...

Is there anything biographical in your writing?

Yes. I like writing using my experience, but I never use real facts in from my life.

Have you ever had a writer’s block? How did you overcome it?

Yes. When I feel that my book is starting to look like the previous ones, I stop and rest a little bit and wait untill the inspiration comes back.

Life as a writer, advice

Is writing a hobby or a way of living for you? Is it possible to make a living just by publishing books?

Occasionally when I specially write for the magazine. I don't have indispensable and accurate writing illness.

Do you like advice? Why? If yes , what advice would you give to a young writer?

You have to learn how to write, so that words would be like music and the story would be like a vibrant, dynamic painting

What do you think the most important qualities of a good writer are?

The most important thing is that your style of writing has to be different from other writers.

Plans for the future

What are your plans for the future? What will your next work deal with?

I am writing a book called ,,Plaukimas ant grindų“ (,,Swimming on the floor“). I don‘t rush, maybe in three years I will be done with this book.

Other

Is reading important to improve writer’s success? Yes, but when you are going to write a book, you have to

stop reading others, because you may start writing simmilar to other writers.

What is your opinion about ebooks? I think they are inovational, but nothing can change the

pleasure of reading a real paper book.

How do you feel about  reading critics and reviews ?

I don‘t mind that. Everybody needs some critics and I can think about what I‘m doing wrong. But it will never change the way I am thinking.

Thank you for your attention!