My books are not 'political.' I don't make political demands. They actually describe life. But when we look at human life, politics creeps in everywhere.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the interconnectedness of life and politics, suggesting that literature inevitably touches on political themes.
Olga Tokarczuk emphasizes that her works are not overtly political; rather, they portray the complexities of human existence. However, she acknowledges that politics is an underlying force that permeates all aspects of life, and thus, it finds its way into her literary narratives, reinforcing the idea that personal experiences are often influenced by larger societal structures.
In practice
In a discussion on the role of literature in society, this quote can illustrate how stories reflect real-life issues.
But the fact is we did have colonies in the east of Poland, we did have a slave economy there. But this is not common knowledge - or part of our national myth. It goes against the current romanticised view of the government, and much of the country, that Poles have always been victims, never oppressors.
I think that first-person narration is very characteristic of contemporary optics, in which the individual performs the role of subjective center of the world.
The world is a fabric we weave daily on the great looms of information, discussions, films, books, gossip, little anecdotes.
I first read Sigmund Freud's 'Beyond the Pleasure Principle' as a young girl, and it helped me to understand that there are thousands of possible ways to interpret our experience, that everything has a meaning, and that interpretation is the key to reality. This was the first step to becoming a writer.
Well-written novels make you more empathetic towards other people. You can identify with someone who isn't you. You can change your identity. A 14-year-old boy can become Anna Karenina. It is a miracle.
How we think about the world and - perhaps even more importantly - how we narrate it have a massive significance, therefore, a thing that happens and is not told ceases to exist and perishes.
Our identities really are a constant negotiation between the story we tell about ourselves and the narrative our societies like to recite.
As buds give rise by growth to fresh buds, and these, if vigorous, branch out and overtop on all sides many a feebler branch, so by generation I believe it has been with the great Tree of Life, which fills with its dead and broken branches the crust of the earth, and covers the surface with its ever branching and beautiful ramifications.
Forgetfulness, and I would even say historical error, are essential in the creation of a nation.
If it is not tempered by compassion, and empathy, reason can lead men and women into a moral void.
The trouble with you and me, is that we don't live in the real world. We dream of fantastic things that may never happen.
We only confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no big ones.
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