- Hello, first of all, thanks for accept my interview offer. I want to ask you to why your books don’t translate Turkish or English?
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INTERVIEW
Alper Kaya
Well, a writer doesn’t do that by himself. He needs a translator. And a translator is hired by the publisher. Publishers are normally tied to languages and thus to certain countries. Mine only publishes books in German. If another publisher likes to have my novels translated to publish them in English, Turkish or whatever, he’s very welcome to ask :)
Until now, two of my short stories have been translated and published in magazines in the respective language: One in Poland and one in Greece.
- Please mention your books themes and contents for Turkish sci-fi readers. You have four books; Walpar Tonnraffir und Der Zeigefinger Gottes, Zweiland, Zisch Zitro “für alle!” and Symbiose. What about them?
Let’s put “Zweiland” (“Twoland”) aside for the moment because it’s fantasy. “Zisch Zitro für alle!” (“Zisch Zitro for all!”) is a story collection including several fantasy, scifi and comedy stories, alongside with my crossover novella “Licht der Nacht” (“Light of Night”) which is also one of the most downloaded free ebooks on feedbooks.com. By the way, “Zisch Zitro” is the name of an imaginary soft drink. It’s mentioned in many of my books, and if you ever happen to find a bottle, you can be sure that you are inside one of my stories…
“Symbiose” (“Symbiosis”) is my first scifi novel. Actually it kind of introduces a new subgenre: Biopunk. The world changed in my novel – from technology to biotechnology, enhancing animals with computer chips and genetic engineering in a very practical way. You have spam pigeons flying around, and huge toilet toads. You can imagine for what both are used, can’t you? But that world is threatened by a giant, shark-formed asteroid approaching… and what do you think what earth’s politicians do? They throw a party (something like an orgy) and take flight.
The novel is like a satire on speed. It’s quite unique I think. 2010, it went second place at Germany’s yearly Science Fiction Award.
“Walpar Tonnraffir und der Zeigefinger Gottes” (“Walpar Tonnraffir and the forefinger of god”) is more a scifi comedy. A giant forefinger appears in earth’s orbit, and private investigator Walpar Tonnraffir wants to find out where the rest of the body is. In this novel, which is obviously again a scifi satire, my readers meet among others a single mother assassin, clerics claiming to have the only true belief about god’s finger and even Fidel Castro dollies.
- After that, who is Uwe Post? How long have you been doing writing?
I studied physics and astronomy, and am now working for an international telecommunications brand (which is also present in turkey). I started writing like 25 years ago, but I only published countless short stories in magazines until the Atlantis Verlag, a small publishing company located near Cologne, invited my to write a novel. It took some time to switch from writing short stories to novels. It’s a completely different thing, but as a writer, you can barely sell short stories. You can sell novels, though. Still, many of my readers observe that my novels sometimes have the speed and spirit of short stories. Sometimes my readers barely find the time to breathe, when one crazy idea pops up after another.
- Some people write for want to know who are them, some people write for only hobby. Some people write for a life-style… Why did you start writing?
I started writing because my uncle made me a gift: an old typewriter, weighting like a ton. Later, during my physics studies, I wrote stories about life, the universe, and everything because I read Douglas Adams and observed stars and galaxies and stuff like that. I found out that humor is the glue that keeps the universe from falling apart, actually being the long-searched Formula Of Everything. My buddies at the university said that’s rubbish, but quite funny. That way, I knew that my stories were able to make people laugh, and that’s for my part a very good reason to write.
- Have you got any rituels when you are writing? (If “yes”, what are them?)
I don’t have a ritual. I just need my netbook and a quite place.
- Sci-fi readers read sci-fi writer Uwe Post, sci-fi writer Uwe Post read who? Do you read new generation science fiction books or other kinds? (Or old generation)
Well, of course I consume lots of sci-fi, be it movies, TV series or books. I read nearly all sci-fi short stories published in the German magazines. We have some really promising authors who don’t need to hide behind the US colleagues in terms of interesting ideas and topics. The English speaking authors just have the huger circulation and thus audience.
- Please make a list about your favorite five sci-fi novels with reason of why they are “best”.
I’ll limit this to novels which are available English.
My sense of wonder has been inspired by Arthur C. Clarke’s novels, especially the Rama books. Then of course I have to mention the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which is one of the most funny books ever written. Rarely noted, it’s also one of the most humanistic sci-fi books ever.
To keep this list short, I will only add one more: Neal Stephenson’s “Snow Crash”, which made me believe that you can write stories at ridiculous speed. And in present tense.
- If we live at a world which their creative Uwe Post, how is it? What kind of animals, humans, creatures, plants are in Uwe’s World? What is this world’s name? What are “earthling”s daily rituals?
The answer to this questions would have the length of a novel, and maybe it would be called “Symbiose”… well, to be honest, not. To my understanding, sci-fi is not necessarily about forecasting the future. It’s mostly about the present. Many sci-fi authors like me actually show OUR world, only alienated. Some things are different than in reality, but there’ always a reason for that.
- What are your views about the political situation in Germany?
This question is obviously off topic, but I’m willing to answer anyway, because as a satirist I have a strong opinion. I think that we are (like people in many other countries) governed by a bunch of dumb braggers who are more interested in their toes then in reality. They are steered by lobbyists, deciding what is good for certain companies or banks, not for the people. It’s a sad fact that everybody seems to be all set to do everything to gain as much money as possible. That said; let me add that I’m glad that I don’t have to live in unstable countries like Afghanistan or Iraq, or even in unfree nations like China, where the sentences just said would probably take me into jail.
- You write some stories. Which one is easy: Write a novel or story? Sometimes people like to tell their troubles long. Do you like it too? Or is talking short best?
Some stories are too complex to tell on ten pages. Those become a novel. Writing a novel or a short story is a huge difference. Short stories, for example, must catch the reader in the very first sentence, and omit anything that’s not really needed to understand what’s happening. A novel may just start with 10 pages about how the weather is. But that’s spoken generally; my novels don’t care about the weather very much. They care about, yeah, for example, polititics, which takes us to your previous question…
- Did you meet any Turkish at Germany? If you did, what did your opinion about their culture? And did you read any Turkish writer?
I have Turkish colleagues where I work, and in Germany we have many people from turkey now living here even in the third generation, they are German as I am and Turkish as you, making for a very interesting mixture. In general I don’t dare to say I know very much about Turkish culture, and I am currently not aware of any Turkish book I read recently. But I’m afraid that also applies for roughly 100 other countries in the world.
- What do you think about science fiction movies? For example i think they slow down our imagination… What are your favorite movies?
There’s a great example: Avatar. It makes your eyes glare, it’s so beautiful… but the each and every moment of the story is hundred percent foreseeable. That movie is the opposite of being creative, and it gives you nothing to think about, it only makes you staggered. I do like movies which activate my brain. Let’s just mention “Brazil”, “District 9” or “Dogma” (which is admittedly not sci-fi, but anyway… you get my point) – and of course “Battlestar Galactica” as the probably most intelligent sci-fi TV series ever created. Actually, for me the most inspiring movies are some made by Woody Allen. That reminds me of one important thing: Good Sci-Fi is essentially never about space ships or time machines, even if they are mentioned. It’s about humans. About what they feel, and about their needs. And that’s the what matters in the end.
- Ah, finally, thanks for patience and outspoken answers… I hope our wanting Turkish readers bridge for Uwe Post’s world will make after this interview!
Thank you for the interesting questions.
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