Guy Hasson

Gordon Van Gelder

Q-1.

What country/ethnicity/culture do you identify yourself with?

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A-1.

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I was raised in two countries, Israel and the US. I’m part of both but never really felt I fully belong to either one.

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Q-2.
 

SF/F/Horror/Slipstream genre has always been dominated by Anglo-American language. Is Anglo-American genre fiction is your major influence?
 

A-2.

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Except for Jules Verne, who was a great influence on me during my childhood, and, apparently, to this day, Anglo-American science fiction and fantasy are my bread and butter.

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Q-3.
 

Give us the ratio of your reading of Anglo-American fiction against your own or non-English literature. Currently.
 

A-3.

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Ninety five percent of what I read is English/American literature. But I think that’s because I like to read good stories in the language they were written and there’s a much greater variety in English than Hebrew. Much of what an author does is found in the subtlety of his words so I prefer, when I can, to read a story in its original language. Having said that, I’m currently rediscovering Tolstoy and, as much as I like this author I shudder to put him in the same sentence as Tolstoy, Michael Ende.

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Q-4.
 

To our dismay, a lot of so called World things are actually American ones. From Baseball's World series to our genre's Worldcon (almost) or World Fantasy Awards. How can we correct it to its real structure, into the real chaotic world?
 

A-4.

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What you’re talking about, it’s just marketing. Putting a name on something sometimes defines it in the eyes of the world. They called themselves the ‘World’ first, so they own the ‘World’. But if you think about only as marketing, it’s not that impressive. Awards are also marketing. First and foremost, they’re used for marketing. Generally, the readers (buyers) assume something is better than something else because it won an award.

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You want to solve it? First, you have to get over the language barrier. The people who vote for the international prizes usually read only English. So the best Japanese SF book won’t be read by any voters unless it’s translated into English. Next, I doubt all the voters read all the books that come out that year. Again, it’s a marketing issue: you have to draw more exposure and public awareness to the books you think deserve to win.

Q-5.

Yet, it's true that we're culturally much influenced by American pop culture. Haruki Murakami cannot write like he does now without his American literature and Jazz influence. Is it the same for your case? Can you imagine you write without that influence at all?
 

A-5.

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I am clearly influenced by the two cultures I know well. I write stories and books that would work in both cultures simultaneously. I doubt a person can write a good story or book that is both interesting and devoid of any societal link. I do, however, for my own egotistical reasons, try to write stories that transcend time and location so that they can be read by anyone in any country, today, a hundred years from now, and two hundred years from now, and still be as enjoyable as they are today.

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Q-6.
 

But these days a lot of young writers and editors work in English language and for American market. Do you hold any grudge against working like this? Or is it a natural reaction to that influence?
 

A-6.

I don’t think it’s about influence, I think it’s about audience.

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When I was seventeen, I wanted to become a science fiction author. I had to decide which language to write in: English or Hebrew. I chose English, because there was no audience for SF in Israel and because there was a huge international audience for SF in English. Clearly, I’m one of the people you mention.

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Today, in the internet world, when anyone from anywhere can access your materials, if you so choose, I think writing in the ‘international language’ (the language that’s internationally understood in almost all countries) is a natural choice.

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Q-7.
 

If and when you have to write in English, do you do that to English-American readers, or to the global readers?
 

A-7.

When I write, I write for everyone. My work is usually translated into other languages (Hebrew, Greek, German, Spanish, and Italian so far), so I always assume and hope it will be again. I never saw a reason that a person in another country would not identify with the characters and stories I’ve written.

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A couple of years ago, I wrote an article for the World SF Blog, about the differences in writing for Americans and writing for ‘Foreigners’. You’ll see that there are certain parallels in what the readers expect to see, even though they expect it for different reasons. Let’s look at the hero character, for example. Americans like their heroes to be Americans. Now, because of the major influence of American SF prose and movies, non-American SF fans also usually like their heroes to be American. And if the hero is not American, readers from the US and the rest of the world would both need a really good reason why the hero is not American.

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The article makes a few more points from the point of view of the writer. Later, I followed it with an article comparing American SF authors and ‘foreign’ SF authors. I think the major differences come from the international authors’ ability to get their books to a wider audience.

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Q-8.

Is there any works or writers from your local scene you can sincerely recommend to the world readers? And why do you recommend them? Is it because they have no equivalent works or writers in Anglo-American scene? Or is it because they perfectly fit there and have many things in common that we should share? Which do you think is important, originality, or affinity?
 

A-8.

I think a good writer should not be a person who, as you say, has no equivalent works or writers in his/her country. I think a good writer is a person who has no equivalent works anywhere, someone who is uniquely himself/herself and special. I recommend you try and read Lavie Tidhar’s works. He manipulates science fiction conventions as well as the way we assume things should be, to create poetry. Try his works.

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Q-9.
 

Have you ever read and liked any Japanese works, in and out of our genre? What aspect of it attracted you?
 

A-9.
 

My exposure to Japanese storytelling arts lies in only three places. First in its classic theater, since I originally come from the theater. Secondly, in reading manga, where my favorite storytellers are Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy especially), Hayao Miyazaki (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, as well as his wonderful movies), and Yuki Urushibara (Mushishi). Lastly, cinema and a few animated television programs. I’m sad to say I’ve hardly ever found Japanese literature in book stores over the years, and of the Japanese literature I read, nothing ever stuck in my mind. I’d love to get some recommendations. The most important aspects for me are storytelling ability, uniqueness, and the author’s ability to touch his truth.

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Q-10.
 

Could you please explain what you do to promote foreign literature to your readers or your own works to foreign readers?
 

A-10.

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I do very little to promote my work or others’. I concentrate on the writing.