Entertainment, TV, Celebrity, Culture

Follow @2Paragraphs
  • Daily Edition
    • Bernie SandersBernie Sanders Says This “Greedy” Enemy Unites Even Divided Americans
    • Barack_ObamaBarack Obama Links To Tyre Nichols $1 Million Fund, Speaks Out On Tragedy
    • Joe_BidenJoe Biden Viral Video: “Blank Stare” or Disgust and Surprise?
  • Business
    • Ph.D. student Omar Samara of UC Davis with an agrivoltaic farmAgrivoltaic Farming Trend Surges, Success Stories Around The Globe
    • Dwayne_Johnson by Eva Rinaldi [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia CommonsDwayne Johnson Knocks On His Wooden Head After $100 Million Annual Sales
    • Bill_GatesBill Gates Defends Huge Farm Purchases, “There Isn’t Some Grand Scheme”
  • Culture
    • Sarah SilvermanSarah Silverman Caught Canoodling With Boyfriend on Plane
    • Megan FoxMegan Fox Is Filming Sci-Fi Thriller With Gorgeous Italian Singer, ‘Hard For Me’
    • Lea MicheleLea Michele Flaunts Tiny Waist in Crop Top Dress at Best Friend’s New Movie
  • Sports
    • Deron WilliamsNBA Taps Deron Williams For All-Star Gig, “One Of The Nastiest” — Here’s Why
    • Dwyane_WadeDwyane Wade Plays Denzel Movie Star In New Versace Look, “Doesn’t Get Colder’
    • Russell_WestbrookRussell Westbrook Can’t Stop Smiling, He Loves This Reporter’s Question So Much
  • Food
    • Jennifer GarnerJennifer Garner Reveals Her Favorite ‘Dry January’ Treat at Home
    • Dark ChocolateAre Dark Chocolate Fears Overblown? Cadmium, California, and “Ouch, Ouch” Disease
    • Wendy's restaurantWendy’s New Riddle Stumps Social Media — “Chili in Philly?”
  • Interviews
    • Cranberries_in_a_bucketDo Cranberries Really Help UTI? A Doctor Answers With New Evidence
    • Lauren Lovett The Speech Ring InventorVideo: The Speech Ring Inventor on Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking
    • Surge first out gay superhero in the moviesFirst Out Gay Movie Superhero Surge Speaks on Humor, Responsibility
  • Cool Stuff
    • Bergdorf Goodman 5th Avenue store in NYCChristian Louboutin Reveals 3.5″ Spring Mules With ‘Vibrant Red’ Nail Polish
    • Cardi_BCardi B Says She Hit Jackpot With $30,000 Chanel Slot Machine Bag
    • Patton Oswalt, photo: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPatton Oswalt Shares Genius Movie Solution for Home Viewing, “Wow”
  • People
    • Bradley_Cooper,Bradley Cooper’s Net Worth Wealth Soars, $100 Million Plus
    • Barbara CorcoranWho Is Barbara Corcoran’s FBI Agent, Football Star Husband?
    • Israel Del ToroWatch ESPYS Pat Tillman Recipient MSgt. Del Toro Talk About Resilience
  • Contact

  • Ben Okri

  • Oonya Kempadoo

  • Marcelo Figueras

  • Juan Gabriel Vasquez

  • Jáchym Topol

  • Valeria Luiselli

  • Ivan Vladislavić

  • Hamid Ismailov

  • Kamila Shamsie

  • Troy Blacklaws

  • Zoë Wicomb

  • Eduardo Halfon

  • Eduardo Galeano

  • Earl Lovelace

  • Damon Galgut

  • Chris Abani

  • Sarah Hall

  • Timothy O’Grady

  • Amitava Kumar

  • Akhil Sharma

  • Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor

The 2Paragraphs Interview Answer

Damon Galgut Novelist, Playwright

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • More
  • Linkedin
  • Reddit
  • Email

There is no way to escape the huge gravity of history, which pulls at everybody through specific identities, some of which are tied to nationhood. But growing up in Africa has imbued me with a healthy scepticism about the meaning of country and nation, where borders were often drawn up in an arbitrary way by colonial powers. It is dangerous, I think, to ascribe too much power to these ideas. Cultures are very different, but people are very similar, and fiction has the power to make that visible.

So I relate very strongly to Tolstoy’s statement. He himself was distinctly, unmistakably Russian, and yet saw the human kinship underneath all the surface business. And in fact I find myself aligned with Tolstoy in even deeper ways. For example, he was vegetarian and one of his most affecting pieces was written after a visit to the slaughterhouse. I also don’t eat meat, for exactly the same reasons, and when I read his words the intervening time and distance seem to fall away. It’s these currents of thinking and feeling that are part of the point of books, for me. Several of the faces I wear–my sexual or moral identity, say–bring me close to traditions that are perhaps far removed from me, culturally speaking. I write for people who might understand these common strands of humanity, not in order to explain my country to anybody.

—Damon Galgut was born in Pretoria in 1963. His most recent novel is In a Strange Room. He wrote his first novel, A Sinless Season, when he was seventeen. His other books include Small Circle of Beings, The Beautiful Screaming of Pigs, The Quarry, and The Impostor. The Good Doctor: A Novel, published in 2003, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and the Dublin/IMPAC Award and was published in eighteen countries. He lives in Cape Town.

###

2paragraphs gives special thanks to Anderson Tepper for curating our International Writers Interviews. Mr. Tepper is on the staff of Vanity Fair and is a Contributing Editor at Words Without Borders.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • More
  • Linkedin
  • Reddit
  • Email

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Solo Interviews

  • Cranberries_in_a_bucketDo Cranberries Really Help UTI? A Doctor Answers With New Evidence
  • Lauren Lovett The Speech Ring InventorVideo: The Speech Ring Inventor on Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking
  • Surge first out gay superhero in the moviesFirst Out Gay Movie Superhero Surge Speaks on Humor, Responsibility
  • Arrow shooterKatniss Everdeen Votes Trump or Clinton? ‘Hunger Games’ Expert Reveals
  • gatsby 2paragraphsWhy The Great Gatsby Would Have Voted For Clinton, Not Trump
  • ArchitectAyn Rand’s Howard Roark — A Vote For Trump or Clinton? 
  • See more solo interviews here

Recent Interviews

  • Trending
  • Popular
  • Recent
  • Brianne HoweyBrianne Howey Poses in “Insane” Sheer Lace Bodysuit
  • Panic! At The DiscoPanic! At The Disco Reveals Real Reason For Breakup “Humbling and Exciting”
  • Gabrielle UnionGabrielle Union Dances In Cutout Halter Dress At Dwyane Wade Birthday Bash
  • Elena Tonra of DaughterDaughter Ends 5-Year Hiatus With New Single ‘Be On Your Way’ — Fans “In Shock”
  • Jennifer HudsonJennifer Hudson Confesses To Winnie Harlow About “Modeling School”
  • Elon_MuskElon Musk Puts ‘KKK’ In Tesla Boast, Gets Called Out For Dog Whistle
  • Lady GagaLady Gaga Keeps Quiet as Harley Quinn ‘Joker’ Images Circulate
  • Caly Bevier on AGT: All-StarsAGT Singer Caly Bevier, Cancer Survivor, Soars to 2.5 Million Mark  
  • Heidi KlumHeidi Klum Stuns and Struts in Unbuttoned Denim Overall Dress
  • https://www.flickr.com/photos/slgc/ / CC BYNoah Cyrus Poses Topless in Desert, Lil Nas X Reacts
  • Sarah SilvermanSarah Silverman Caught Canoodling With Boyfriend on Plane
  • Megan FoxMegan Fox Is Filming Sci-Fi Thriller With Gorgeous Italian Singer, ‘Hard For Me’
  • Lea MicheleLea Michele Flaunts Tiny Waist in Crop Top Dress at Best Friend’s New Movie
  • Kate UptonKate Upton Flaunts Curves in Plunging Dress With Thigh High Slit, Hot Pink Lips
  • Deron WilliamsNBA Taps Deron Williams For All-Star Gig, “One Of The Nastiest” — Here’s Why
2paragraphs on APPLE NEWS | 2paragraphs Amazon Shop | SEE MORE 2paragraphs ARTICLES
  • About 2paragraphs
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Dedication
  • Map
  • Fresh
  • Law
  • How-To
  • Personal
  • Books

© 2012-2023, 2paragraphs Productions, LLC

  • Buffer
  • Diggit
  • Email
  • More
  • Facebook
  • Flattr
  • Google+
  • Linkedin
  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Reddit
  • Stumble
  • tumblr
  • Twitter
  • VK
  • WhatsApp
  • Yummly
  • Xing