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Samantha Schweblin: Literature is a form of rehearsal
🇬🇷 Greece /Culture & Society

Samantha Schweblin: Literature is a form of rehearsal

From Kathimerini · () Greek

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Interview Named sources Context piece
  • Argentine author Samantha Schweblin discussed her new collection of stories, "The Good in the Bad," in Athens.
  • The book explores how the uncanny emerges from the familiar and how external forces shape our decisions.
  • Schweblin described literature as a "rehearsal" for readers to confront uncertainties without real-world risk.

Argentine author Samantha Schweblin, known for her distinctive and penetrating voice in contemporary Spanish-language literature, recently visited Greece for the first time to participate in the 18th Greco-Ibero-American Festival LEA (Literature in Athens).

It's both. When I was writing it, the issue of the forces that guide us preoccupied me greatly. We believe we make our own decisions, but often we live guided by commands inherited from our family, our culture, our ideas about the world, even our fears.

— Samantha SchweblinThe author explained her perspective on the title 'The Good in the Bad' and the forces that shape human decisions.

Schweblin presented her new book, "The Good in the Bad," a collection of six meticulously crafted short stories where the uncanny arises organically from within the narrative, rather than intruding upon it. The book earned her the Aena Ibero-American Literature Award, which includes a one-million-euro prize.

Discussing the book's title, Schweblin explained that it questions the absolute separation of good and evil. She elaborated, "It's both. When I was writing it, the issue of the forces that guide us preoccupied me greatly. We believe we make our own decisions, but often we live guided by commands inherited from our family, our culture, our ideas about the world, even our fears."

In everyday life, uncertainty and strangeness seem threatening. Within literature, however, they function differently because you know you are in fiction. Even if you are deeply connected to a character, uncertainty becomes a space for questions: What would I feel if this happened? What would I do? Am I ready?

— Samantha SchweblinSchweblin described how literature allows readers to explore difficult emotions and situations safely.

Schweblin views literature as a crucial space for self-examination. "In everyday life, uncertainty and strangeness seem threatening. Within literature, however, they function differently because you know you are in fiction," she stated. "Even if you are deeply connected to a character, uncertainty becomes a space for questions: What would I feel if this happened? What would I do? Am I ready?" She described literature as a "rehearsal," allowing readers to practice thoughts, fears, and reactions without direct risk.

With this in mind, literature is a kind of rehearsal.

— Samantha SchweblinThe author elaborated on the function of literature in preparing readers for life's uncertainties.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathimerini in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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