Preceding an NPR interview in front of a live audience taped for Chicago Amplified at the Goethe Institut in which host Susan Harris compares
Broken Glass Park to The Catcher in the Rye,
Margarita Korol sits down with Alina Bronsky on behalf of Jewcy one-on-one.
Why use a pseudonym?
I always wanted to have a pseudonym, even before writing this novel. While I wanted my book to gain popularity, I myself didn't want to become a public figure. Of course I didn't expect to reach great popularity in the first place, but I wanted to hide a bit behind the scenes.
Do you consider this to be a Russian book?
Actually, no. I consider it a German novel, a European novel. I've often been asked if I'd like the book translated into Russian, but I'm not really into it. Of course I'm not against it; I've never rallied against it. This is really an overall European book in that it opens up borders for Germans where I live. It lets them into a world that they are unfamiliar with. I'm not sure a Russian audience would have the same kind of experience.
OK, but the chess, the overbearing yet comforting mothers, the kitchen full of freshly baked cakes, the abusive men: this is all Russian imagery that a Postcommunist audience could relate to, no?
(Laughing) I see what you mean. To make it palpable to a German audience though, I integrated caricature. Making light of a very tragic story by painting it in a humorous light through Sascha's voice allows a sort of distance from the harsh reality. This isn't reportage. Although all these elements do indeed exist in Russian immigrant culture, I found that culture very fitting for caricaturing.
Read the complete interview on Jewcy
