Hay festival: Markus Zusak on The Book Thief
Summary
TLDRIn this interview, Marcus Zusak discusses his book 'The Book Thief,' a unique perspective on Nazi Germany told through the eyes of a young girl who steals books. He shares the personal connection to his parents' experiences and the challenge of telling their story amidst a well-explored historical period. Zusak also reveals his writing process, the choice of Death as the narrator, and his current reading list, including 'The Great Gatsby' and works by WP Kinsella.
Takeaways
- 📖 The speaker, Marcus, discusses his book *The Book Thief*, which is about a girl growing up in Nazi Germany and stealing books.
- 📝 The main theme involves the girl 'stealing back words' and creating her own story in a dark, destructive world.
- ⚔️ Writing about World War II and Nazi Germany was challenging for Marcus because it's a well-covered topic, but he focused on a personal story inspired by his parents' experiences.
- ❤️ Marcus felt a responsibility to tell his parents' story authentically, focusing on their individual narrative rather than the larger historical context.
- 💀 He chose Death as the narrator of the book, reflecting on the constant presence of death during wartime and how death can highlight human kindness.
- 🕰️ Marcus imagines Death observing the girl and seeing humanity's worth through her actions, even in horrific times.
- 🖋️ Marcus describes his writing process as starting early in the morning, working from around 7 am to noon, taking breaks, and writing both in a notebook and on a computer.
- 📚 He recently read *The Great Gatsby* for the first time in preparation for attending a seven-hour play adaptation.
- 📖 He is currently reading short stories by W.P. Kinsella, a writer he admired as a teenager.
- 📚 His favorite author is Michael Chabon, particularly enjoying *The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay* and *Wonder Boys*.
Q & A
What is the main theme of Marcus Zusak's book 'The Book Thief'?
-The main theme of 'The Book Thief' is a girl growing up in Nazi Germany who steals books, symbolizing the act of reclaiming words and writing her own story amidst the ugliness of war.
Why did Marcus Zusak choose to write 'The Book Thief'?
-Marcus Zusak wrote 'The Book Thief' as a personal endeavor to tell the story of his parents growing up during that era, focusing on a personal level rather than the broader historical context.
Why did Zusak choose Death as the narrator of 'The Book Thief'?
-Zusak chose Death as the narrator because war and death are often seen as inseparable, and he wanted to have a character omnipresent during wartime who could observe the protagonist's actions and reflect on humanity's worth.
How does Marcus Zusak approach writing?
-Zusak approaches writing by working early in the day, from around seven until midday, then taking a break and doing more work in the afternoon. He starts by writing in a notebook and later transfers it to a computer.
What is Zusak's opinion on the challenge of writing a book set in World War 2 or Nazi Germany?
-Zusak finds it challenging to write a book set in World War 2 or Nazi Germany because the setting has been extensively covered, but he believes in focusing on personal stories to find a unique perspective.
What does Marcus Zusak think about his publisher's view of his working process?
-Zusak humorously suggests that if his publisher saw his working process, they might take away the money they've given him, implying that he sometimes feels unproductive despite working effectively.
What book did Marcus Zusak recently read for the first time?
-Marcus Zusak recently read 'The Great Gatsby' for the first time, in preparation for a seven-hour production of the play based on the book.
Who are some of the authors that Marcus Zusak enjoys reading?
-Zusak mentions enjoying the works of W.P. Kinsella, particularly loved as a teenager, and currently favors Michael Chabon, author of 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay' and 'Wonder Boys'.
What is Marcus Zusak's experience at the Hay Festival?
-Zusak finds the Hay Festival to be great, appreciating the generous spirit of the attendees who come with an open mind and a willingness to engage with the authors.
What is the significance of the books the girl steals in 'The Book Thief'?
-The books the girl steals in 'The Book Thief' symbolize the power of words and stories to provide hope and humanity in the face of the horrors of war.
How does 'The Book Thief' reflect on the nature of humanity according to Marcus Zusak?
-Through the acts of the protagonist stealing books and the narration by Death, 'The Book Thief' reflects on the capacity for kindness and worth in humans even amidst the atrocities of war.
Outlines
📚 The Storytelling Power of Words
The author, Marcus Sue, discusses his book 'The Book Thief,' which is set in Nazi Germany and follows a girl who steals books. He explains that the story is a metaphor for reclaiming words and writing one's own narrative amidst a harsh reality. The author's challenge was to tell this story in a unique way, avoiding clichés and focusing on personal experiences, particularly those of his parents. He chose Death as the narrator to provide an omnipresent perspective during the war, highlighting the girl's acts of kindness amidst horror. The author also shares his writing process, which involves working early in the day and transferring ideas from notebook to computer. He mentions reading 'The Great Gatsby' and enjoying the works of Michael Chabon, particularly 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay' and 'Wonder Boys.' Lastly, he reflects on the positive experience of being at the Hay Festival, appreciating the receptive audience.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Book Thief
💡Nazi Germany
💡Words
💡Death
💡Personal Level
💡Responsibility
💡Unique Way
💡The Great Gatsby
💡WP Kinsella
💡Michael Chabon
💡Hay Festival
Highlights
The Book Thief is about a girl growing up in Nazi Germany, stealing books, and reclaiming words in a time of destruction.
The narrator of the book is Death, chosen because war and death are often seen as companions.
The story is based on the author's parents' experiences growing up, making it a deeply personal narrative.
The author's focus was more on telling a personal story rather than focusing on the historical context of Nazi Germany.
Death, as the narrator, observes the girl stealing books and doing kind things in the midst of the horrors of war.
The author found it challenging to write a book set during World War II due to the saturation of stories about that period.
The Book Thief aims to show that humans are worthwhile despite the terrible things Death has witnessed.
The author’s writing process involves working in the morning from 7 AM to midday, followed by a break and some work in the afternoon.
He starts writing in a notebook, then transfers the work to a computer, refining it as he goes.
At the time of the interview, the author had just finished reading The Great Gatsby for the first time.
The author was reading short stories by WP Kinsella, a writer he loved as a teenager.
Michael Chabon, author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and Wonder Boys, is one of his favorite writers.
The author enjoys rereading Michael Chabon’s works and finds them highly enjoyable.
The author appreciates the generosity of readers at the Hay Festival and their engagement with the sessions.
Readers at the Hay Festival bring a generous spirit, making the sessions enjoyable and lively for the author.
Transcripts
I'm Marcus Sue's akka my books the book
thief and I guess you'd say it's about a
girl growing up in Nazi Germany who's
stealing books and in a way I guess it's
like it was destroying people with words
and in a way she's stealing the words
back and and writing her own story
through this ugly world and hopefully
it's beautiful story is I'm hard to to
write a book set in World War 2 or Nazi
Germany because it has been done so many
times but I guess you look at the story
at a personal level and for me it was
the story of my parents growing up and
so my greater responsibility was to tell
their story to the best of my ability
rather than sort of focus on sort of the
history of you know of that era and so
that's the way I approached it was to
try to do them justice and and I guess
try to find my own unique way of telling
the story I decided to his death as the
narrator of the book mainly because you
know i just heard all the time that war
and death are like best friends and so
who better to be hanging around during
wartime than death to sort of notice
this girl i'm stealing the books and
especially in these horrific times where
he was everywhere and yes so it just
came to a point where I thought death
has seen so many terrible things that
he's telling this story of this girl and
all of the sort of kind things she does
to show that humans are actually
worthwhile after all day in my working
life I think if my publisher saw the way
I work that would just take any bit of
money away they've given me it that's
that's what what's he doing now I just
was sitting around and I feel like I'm
doing nothing half the time but I'm
basically when I am working hopefully
well effectively it's um I try to work
pretty early and so it's best to sort of
work from around seven til around midday
and then have a bigger sort of break and
then do a bit more in the afternoon but
I'm but yeah so um it's it's mainly i'll
just write a little bit in a notebook
and then I'll copy it out on on screen
on computer and then I'll
keep going from there at the moment I'm
I just finished reading The Great Gatsby
for the first time and yeah I hadn't
read it and that's because I'm going to
a seven-hour production but the you know
of the play of the book and so I thought
I'd better read it before I go it might
help and and now i'm just reading some
short stories by WP Kinsella who was a
writer that I I loved as a teenager
probably my favorite writer is Michael
Chabon at the moment who wrote The
Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and clay
and Wonder Boys and just been rereading
him lately too and just really enjoying
that as far as being in hay and at the
festival goes is great I mean it readers
have been really giving and you don't go
into a session here feeling like all
right I've got to you know wake these
people up or or make them happier so
everyone's coming with with such a
generous spirit so it's really nice
تصفح المزيد من مقاطع الفيديو ذات الصلة
Les confidences d'un passionné avec André-Carl Vachon
On Libraries Class 12 Summary in Nepali || Compulsory English Essay || By Oliver Sacks|| NEB
HOW TO MAKE IT IN FOOTBALL | Lukaku inspirational interview
10 Books AYANOKOJI KIYOTAKA Would Read | Classroom Of The Elite Analysis
'Memoirs of a Hamster' read by Melanie Lynskey
The Interview Class 12 animation in English
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)