The politics of fiction | Elif Shafak

Prevoditelj: Ana Mikacic Recezent: Nenad Maljković

I'm a storyteller.

Ja sam pripovjedačica.

That's what I do in life -- telling stories,

Time se bavim u životu - pričam priče,

writing novels --

pišem romane.

and today I would like to tell you a few stories

Danas bih vam željela ispričati nekoliko priča

about the art of storytelling

o umjetnosti pripovijedanja

and also some supernatural creatures

i o nekim nadnaravnim bićima

called the djinni.

koji se zovu džini.

But before I go there, please allow me to share with you

Ali, prije nego počnem, dopustite mi da s vama podijelim

glimpses of my personal story.

dijeliće moje osobne životne priče.

I will do so with the help of words, of course,

To ću, naravno, učiniti uz pomoć riječi,

but also a geometrical shape, the circle,

ali i uz pomoć jednog geometrijskog oblika, kruga.

so throughout my talk,

Dakle, tijekom mog izlaganja

you will come across several circles.

naići ćete na nekoliko krugova.

I was born in Strasbourg, France

Rođena sam u Strasbourgu, u Francuskoj

to Turkish parents.

od turskih roditelja.

Shortly after, my parents got separated,

Moji se roditelji ubrzo razvode

and I came to Turkey with my mom.

i ja s majkom odlazim u Tursku.

From then on, I was raised

Od tada me kao jedinicu

as a single child by a single mother.

odgaja samohrana majka.

Now in the early 1970s, in Ankara,

To je, međutim, u Ankari početkom 70-ih

that was a bit unusual.

bilo pomalo neuobičajeno.

Our neighborhood was full of large families,

U našem susjedstvu bilo je puno velikih obitelji,

where fathers were the heads of households,

u kojima su na čelu domaćinstva bili očevi.

so I grew up seeing my mother as a divorcee

Rasla sam, dakle, promatrajući svoju razvedenu majku

in a patriarchal environment.

u patrijarhalnoj sredini.

In fact, I grew up observing

Ustvari, rasla sam promatrajući

two different kinds of womanhood.

dvije različite vrste žena.

On the one hand was my mother,

S jedne strane, moja majka,

a well-educated, secular, modern, westernized, Turkish woman.

obrazovana, svjetovna, moderna, pozapadnjačena Turkinja.

On the other hand was my grandmother,

S druge strane, moja baka,

who also took care of me

koja se također brinula o meni

and was more spiritual, less educated

i koja je bila duhovnija, manje obrazovana

and definitely less rational.

i zasigurno manje racionalna.

This was a woman who read coffee grounds to see the future

To je bila žena koja je iz taloga kave predviđala budućnost

and melted lead into mysterious shapes

i talila olovo u tajnovite oblike

to fend off the evil eye.

kako bi rastjerala uroke.

Many people visited my grandmother,

Mnogi su posjećivali moju baku,

people with severe acne on their faces

ljudi s gadnim aknama na licu

or warts on their hands.

ili s bradavicama na rukama.

Each time, my grandmother would utter some words in Arabic,

Baka bi izgovarala riječi na arapskom,

take a red apple and stab it

uzela bi crvenu jabuku i u nju zabadala

with as many rose thorns

onoliko ružinih trnova

as the number of warts she wanted to remove.

koliko je bradavica htjela ukloniti.

Then one by one, she would

Tada bi jedan po jedan trn

encircle these thorns with dark ink.

ocrtala crnom tintom.

A week later, the patient would come back

Tjedan dana nakon toga, pacijent bi se vratio

for a follow-up examination.

na kontrolni pregled.

Now, I'm aware that I should not be saying such things

Svjesna sam da ne bih trebala ovo govoriti

in front of an audience of scholars and scientists,

pred publikom u kojoj sjede učenjaci i znanstvenici,

but the truth is, of all the people

ali istina je da od onih

who visited my grandmother for their skin conditions,

koji su mojoj baki dolazili zbog problema s kožom

I did not see anyone go back

nikoga nisam vidjela da odlazi

unhappy or unhealed.

nesretan ili neizliječen.

I asked her how she did this. Was it the power of praying?

Pitala sam je kako to čini. Radi li se o snazi molitve?

In response she said, "Yes, praying is effective,

Odgovorila mi je, "Da, molitva pomaže.

but also beware of the power of circles."

Ali, budi svjesna i snage krugova".

From her, I learned, amongst many other things,

Od nje sam dobila, uz puno toga drugoga,

one very precious lesson --

jednu jako dragocjenu poduku.

that if you want to destroy something in this life,

A ta je - ako želiš nešto na ovom svijetu uništiti,

be it an acne, a blemish

bile to akne, mrlje

or the human soul,

ili ljudska duša,

all you need to do is to surround it with thick walls.

dovoljno je da je opkoliš debelim zidovima.

It will dry up inside.

Unutar njih će se sasušiti.

Now we all live in some kind of a social and cultural circle.

Svi mi živimo u nekoj vrsti društvenog ili kulturnog kruga.

We all do.

Svatko od nas.

We're born into a certain family, nation, class.

Rođeni smo unutar jedne obitelji, naroda, klase.

But if we have no connection whatsoever

Ali, ukoliko nismo povezani

with the worlds beyond the one we take for granted,

sa svjetovima izvan onog kojeg uzimamo zdravo za gotovo,

then we too run the risk

tada i mi riskiramo

of drying up inside.

da se unutar tog kruga sasušimo.

Our imagination might shrink;

Naša mašta se može stisnuti.

our hearts might dwindle,

Naša se srca mogu smanjiti.

and our humanness might wither

A naša čovječnost može uvenuti

if we stay for too long

ako predugo ostanemo

inside our cultural cocoons.

unutar vlastitih kulturnih čahura.

Our friends, neighbors, colleagues, family --

Naši prijatelji, susjedi, kolege, obitelj --

if all the people in our inner circle resemble us,

ako nam svi ljudi u našem unutarnjem krugu nalikuju,

it means we are surrounded

to znači da smo okruženi

with our mirror image.

svojim odrazima u zrcalu.

Now one other thing women like my grandma do in Turkey

Još nešto što žene poput moje bake u Turskoj rade

is to cover mirrors with velvet

je prekrivanje ogledala baršunom

or to hang them on the walls with their backs facing out.

ili vješaju ogledala na zid tako da su okrenuta prema zidu.

It's an old Eastern tradition

To je drevna istočnjačka tradicija

based on the knowledge that it's not healthy

koja se temelji na vjerovanju da za ljudsko biće

for a human being to spend too much time

nije zdravo previše vremena provoditi

staring at his own reflection.

buljeći u vlastiti odraz.

Ironically, [living in] communities of the like-minded

Ironično, zajednice istomišljenika

is one of the greatest dangers

jedna su od najvećih opasnosti

of today's globalized world.

današnjeg globaliziranog svijeta.

And it's happening everywhere,

A to se događa svugdje,

among liberals and conservatives,

među liberalima i konzervativcima,

agnostics and believers, the rich and the poor,

agnosticima i vjernicima, bogatima i siromašnima,

East and West alike.

na Istoku, i na Zapadu.

We tend to form clusters

Težimo okupljanju u skupine

based on similarity,

na temelju sličnosti,

and then we produce stereotypes

a potom stvaramo stereotipe

about other clusters of people.

o drugim skupinama ljudi.

In my opinion, one way of transcending

Smatram da je jedan od puteva nadilaženja

these cultural ghettos

ovih kulturoloških getoa

is through the art of storytelling.

vodi kroz umjetnost pripovijedanja.

Stories cannot demolish frontiers,

Priče ne mogu uništiti granice,

but they can punch holes in our mental walls.

ali mogu probijati otvore u našim mentalnim zidovima.

And through those holes, we can get a glimpse of the other,

A kroz te otvore možemo opaziti nešto drugo,

and sometimes even like what we see.

nešto što nam se možda i svidi.

I started writing fiction at the age of eight.

Počela sam pisati priče s osam godina.

My mother came home one day with a turquoise notebook

Majka je jednog dana došla kući s tirkiznom bilježnicom

and asked me if I'd be interested in keeping a personal journal.

i pitala me bih li željela voditi dnevnik.

In retrospect, I think she was slightly worried

Danas mislim da je bila pomalo zabrinuta

about my sanity.

za moje mentalno zdravlje.

I was constantly telling stories at home, which was good,

Kod kuće sam neprestano pričala priče, što je bilo dobro,

except I told this to imaginary friends around me,

jedino što sam ih pričala izmišljenim prijateljima oko sebe,

which was not so good.

što i nije bilo tako dobro.

I was an introverted child,

Bila sam introvertirano dijete

to the point of communicating with colored crayons

do te mjere da sam razgovarala s bojicama

and apologizing to objects

i ispričavala se predmetima

when I bumped into them,

ako bih u njih udarila.

so my mother thought it might do me good

Moja je majka smatrala da bi za mene bilo dobro

to write down my day-to-day experiences

da svoja svakidašnja iskustva

and emotions.

i osjećaje zapisujem.

What she didn't know was that I thought my life was terribly boring,

Ono što ona nije znala jest da se meni moj život činio užasno dosadnim,

and the last thing I wanted to do

i da je zadnje što sam željela raditi

was to write about myself.

bilo pisati o sebi.

Instead, I began to write about people other than me

Umjesto toga, počela sam pisati o drugim ljudima

and things that never really happened.

i stvarima koje se nikada nisu dogodile.

And thus began my life-long passion

Tako je započela moja dugogodišnja strast

for writing fiction.

prema pisanju priča.

So from the very beginning, fiction for me

Od samog početka, fikcija je za mene

was less of an autobiographical manifestation

bila ne toliko autobiografski izraz

than a transcendental journey

koliko transcedentalno putovanje

into other lives, other possibilities.

u druge živote, druge mogućnosti.

And please bear with me:

Molim vas, pratite me.

I'll draw a circle and come back to this point.

Nacrtat ću jedan krug i vratiti se na ovo.

Now one other thing happened around this same time.

Otprilike u isto vrijeme dogodilo se još nešto.

My mother became a diplomat.

Moja je majka postala diplomatkinja.

So from this small, superstitious,

I tako sam iz tog malog, praznovjernog,

middle-class neighborhood of my grandmother,

bakinog susjedstva ljudi srednje klase,

I was zoomed into this

prebačena u jednu

posh, international school [in Madrid],

otmjenu, međunarodnu školu [u Madridu],

where I was the only Turk.

gdje sam bila jedina Turkinja.

It was here that I had my first encounter

Upravo tu sam se po prvi put susrela

with what I call the "representative foreigner."

s onim što nazivam "reprezentativni stranac".

In our classroom, there were children from all nationalities,

U našem razredu bilo je djece svih nacionalnosti.

yet this diversity did not necessarily lead

Pa ipak, ta različitost nije nužno vodila

to a cosmopolitan, egalitarian

u kozmopolitsku, egalitarnu

classroom democracy.

razrednu demokraciju.

Instead, it generated an atmosphere

Umjesto toga, stvarala je atmosferu

in which each child was seen --

u kojoj je svako dijete bilo viđeno,

not as an individual on his own,

ne kao zasebna individua,

but as the representative of something larger.

već kao predstavnik nečeg većeg.

We were like a miniature United Nations, which was fun,

Bili smo poput minijaturnih Ujedinjenih naroda, što je bilo zabavno,

except whenever something negative,

osim kada bi se nešto negativno

with regards to a nation

dogodilo u vezi s nekom

or a religion, took place.

državom ili vjerom.

The child who represented it was mocked,

Dijete koje ih je predstavljalo bilo je zadirkivano,

ridiculed and bullied endlessly.

ismijavano i beskrajno maltretirano.

And I should know, because during the time I attended that school,

Ja to znam, jer se, dok sam bila u toj školi,

a military takeover happened in my country,

u mojoj zemlji dogodio vojni udar,

a gunman of my nationality nearly killed the Pope,

atentator moje nacionalnosti umalo je ubio Papu,

and Turkey got zero points in [the] Eurovision Song Contest.

a Turska je dobila nula bodova na natjecanju za pjesmu Eurovizije.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

I skipped school often and dreamed of becoming a sailor

Tih sam dana često izostajala iz škole

during those days.

i sanjarila da postajem mornar.

I also had my first taste

Također sam po prvi puta

of cultural stereotypes there.

imala iskustvo kulturnih stereotipa.

The other children asked me about the movie

Djeca su me zapitkivala o filmu

"Midnight Express," which I had not seen;

"Ponoćni ekspres", kojeg nisam bila gledala.

they inquired how many cigarettes a day I smoked,

Pitali su me koliko cigareta dnevno pušim,

because they thought all Turks were heavy smokers,

jer su mislili da su svi Turci teški pušači.

and they wondered at what age

I htjeli su znati s koliko ću godina

I would start covering my hair.

početi pokrivati kosu.

I came to learn that these were

Naučila sam da su to

the three main stereotypes about my country:

tri glavna stereotipa o mojoj zemlji,

politics, cigarettes

politika, cigarete

and the veil.

i marame.

After Spain, we went to Jordan, Germany

Nakon Španjolske išli smo u Jordan, pa Njemačku

and Ankara again.

i ponovo u Ankaru.

Everywhere I went, I felt like

Kamo god sam išla, činilo mi se

my imagination was the only suitcase

da je moja mašta jedini kovčeg

I could take with me.

koji sa sobom mogu ponijeti.

Stories gave me a sense of center,

Priče su mi davale smisao središta,

continuity and coherence,

stalnosti i suvislosti,

the three big Cs that I otherwise lacked.

tri velika S koja inače ne bih imala.

In my mid-twenties, I moved to Istanbul,

U mojim srednjim dvadesetima, preselila sam se u Istanbul,

the city I adore.

grad koji obožavam.

I lived in a very vibrant, diverse neighborhood

Živjela sam u jako živahnom, šarolikom susjedstvu

where I wrote several of my novels.

gdje sam napisala nekoliko romana.

I was in Istanbul when the earthquake hit

Bila sam u Istanbulu kad ga je

in 1999.

1999. pogodio potres.

When I ran out of the building at three in the morning,

Kada sam u tri sata ujutro istrčala iz zgrade,

I saw something that stopped me in my tracks.

ugledala sam nešto što me prikovalo na mjestu.

There was the local grocer there --

Trgovac iz dućana mješovite robe,

a grumpy, old man who didn't sell alcohol

mrzovoljni starac koji nije prodavao alkohol

and didn't speak to marginals.

niti razgovarao s ljudima s ruba,

He was sitting next to a transvestite

sjedio je pored transvestita

with a long black wig

s dugom crnom perikom

and mascara running down her cheeks.

i maskarom razlivenom niz obraze.

I watched the man open a pack of cigarettes

Gledala sam čovjeka kako drhtavim rukama

with trembling hands

otvara kutiju cigareta

and offer one to her,

i jednu nudi njoj.

and that is the image of the night of the earthquake

To je slika noći potresa

in my mind today --

koju i danas imam u glavi --

a conservative grocer and a crying transvestite

konzervativni prodavač i uplakani transvestit

smoking together on the sidewalk.

kako zajedno puše na pločniku.

In the face of death and destruction,

Pred smrću i razaranjem,

our mundane differences evaporated,

naše su se svjetovne razlike izbrisale,

and we all became one

i postali smo jedno

even if for a few hours.

makar i na nekoliko sati.

But I've always believed that stories, too, have a similar effect on us.

Oduvijek sam vjerovala da priče imaju slično djelovanje.

I'm not saying that fiction has the magnitude of an earthquake,

Ne kažem da fikcija ima značaj jednog potresa.

but when we are reading a good novel,

Ali, kada čitamo dobar roman,

we leave our small, cozy apartments behind,

napuštamo svoje male, udobne stanove,

go out into the night alone

odlazimo sami u noć

and start getting to know people we had never met before

i počinjemo upoznavati ljude koje nikada prije nismo sreli

and perhaps had even been biased against.

i prema kojima smo čak možda gajili i predrasude.

Shortly after, I went

Nedugo nakon toga otišla sam

to a women's college in Boston, then Michigan.

u ženski koledž u Boston, pa u Michigan.

I experienced this, not so much as a geographical shift,

To nisam toliko iskusila kao geografski pomak,

as a linguistic one.

koliko kao lingvistički.

I started writing fiction in English.

Počela sam pisati romane na engleskom.

I'm not an immigrant, refugee or exile --

Nisam imigrantica, izbjeglica ni prognanica.

they ask me why I do this --

Pitaju me zašto onda to činim.

but the commute between languages

Kretanje između dvaju jezika

gives me the chance to recreate myself.

pruža mi priliku da i sebe preoblikujem.

I love writing in Turkish,

Volim pisati na turskom,

which to me is very poetic and very emotional,

za mene je to jako poetičan i osjećajan jezik.

and I love writing in English, which to me

A volim pisati i na engleskom, koji mi je

is very mathematical and cerebral.

jako matematičan i intelektualan.

So I feel connected to each language in a different way.

Tako da sa svakim jezikom osjećam različitu povezanost.

For me, like millions of other people

Za mene, kao i za milijune drugih ljudi

around the world today,

širom današnjeg svijeta,

English is an acquired language.

engleski je drugi jezik.

When you're a latecomer to a language,

Kada si u nekom jeziku pridošlica,

what happens is you live there

događa se da tu živiš

with a continuous

sa stalnom i

and perpetual frustration.

i vječitom frustracijom.

As latecomers, we always want to say more, you know,

Kao pridošlice, uvijek želimo reći nešto više,

crack better jokes, say better things,

ispaliti bolju šalu, kazivati bolje stvari.

but we end up saying less

Međutim, uvijek na koncu kažemo manje

because there's a gap between the mind and the tongue.

zbog jaza između uma i govora.

And that gap is very intimidating.

A taj je jaz vrlo nelagodan.

But if we manage not to be frightened by it,

Ali, ako uspijemo da nas to ne zastraši,

it's also stimulating.

to može biti i poticaj.

And this is what I discovered in Boston --

Upravo sam to otkrila u Bostonu --

that frustration was very stimulating.

da je frustracija jako poticajna.

At this stage, my grandmother,

U to je doba moja baka,

who had been watching the course of my life

koja je pratila tijek mog života

with increasing anxiety,

sa sve većom zabrinutošću,

started to include in her daily prayers

u svoje dnevne molitve uključila

that I urgently get married

i molitve da se što prije udam

so that I could settle down once and for all.

kako bih se konačno i zauvijek smirila.

And because God loves her, I did get married.

A kako je Bog voli, ja sam se zaista i udala.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

But instead of settling down,

Ali, umjesto da se smirim,

I went to Arizona.

ja sam otišla u Arizonu.

And since my husband is in Istanbul,

A kako je moj suprug u Istanbulu,

I started commuting between Arizona and Istanbul --

počela sam putovati između Arizone i Istanbula.

the two places on the surface of earth

Dva mjesta na zemlji

that couldn't be more different.

koja ne mogu biti različitija nego što jesu.

I guess one part of me has always been a nomad,

Mislim da je jedan dio mene oduvijek bio nomadski,

physically and spiritually.

u fizičkom i duhovnom smislu.

Stories accompany me,

Priče me prate,

keeping my pieces and memories together,

držeći na okupu moje dijelove i uspomene,

like an existential glue.

poput egzistencijalnog ljepila.

Yet as much as I love stories,

Pa ipak, koliko god volim priče,

recently, I've also begun to think

u zadnje vrijeme sam počela vjerovati

that they lose their magic

da one gube svoju čaroliju

if and when a story is seen as more than a story.

ako ih se doživljava za nešto više od samih priča.

And this is a subject that I would love

A to je tema o kojoj bih želim

to think about together.

da zajedno promislimo.

When my first novel written in English came out in America,

Kada je moj prvi roman napisan na engleskom objavljen u Americi,

I heard an interesting remark from a literary critic.

dobila sam zanimljivu primjedbu od jednog književnog kritičara.

"I liked your book," he said, "but I wish you had written it differently."

"Svidjela mi se vaša knjiga", rekao je, "ali bih volio da ste je dručije napisali".

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

I asked him what he meant by that.

Pitala sam ga što mu to znači.

He said, "Well, look at it. There's so many

Rekao je, "Pa pogledajte, u romanu je mnogo

Spanish, American, Hispanic characters in it,

španjolskih, američkih i latinoameričkih likova,

but there's only one Turkish character and it's a man."

ali samo jedan turski, i to muškarac."

Now the novel took place on a university campus in Boston,

Radnja se inače odvija na studentskom kampusu u Bostonu,

so to me, it was normal

pa mi se činilo normalnim

that there be more international characters in it

da ima više međunarodnih likova,

than Turkish characters,

nego turskih.

but I understood what my critic was looking for.

Ali, shvatila sam što je moj kritičar tražio.

And I also understood that I

A shvatila sam i da ću ga

would keep disappointing him.

nastaviti razočaravati.

He wanted to see the manifestation of my identity.

On je želio vidjeti očitovanje mog identiteta.

He was looking for a Turkish woman in the book

U knjizi je tražio Turkinju

because I happened to be one.

jer sam to, slučajno, i sama.

We often talk about how stories change the world,

Često govorimo o tome kako priče mijenjaju svijet.

but we should also see how the world of identity politics

Ali, trebamo uočiti i kako svijet politike identiteta

affects the way stories

utječe na način

are being circulated,

na koji priče kruže,

read and reviewed.

čitaju se i recenziraju.

Many authors feel this pressure,

Mnogi pisci osjećaju ovaj pritisak,

but non-Western authors feel it more heavily.

ali ne-zapadnjački pisci izloženi su mu još i više.

If you're a woman writer from the Muslim world, like me,

Ako si spisateljica iz muslimanskog svijeta, poput mene,

then you are expected to write

tada se od tebe očekuje da pišeš

the stories of Muslim women

priče o muslimanskim ženama

and, preferably, the unhappy stories

i to, najbolje, nesretne priče

of unhappy Muslim women.

o nesretnim muslimanskim ženama.

You're expected to write

Očekuje se da pišeš

informative, poignant and characteristic stories

poučne, dirljive i tipične priče,

and leave the experimental and avant-garde

a da eksperimentalne i avangardne priče prepustiš

to your Western colleagues.

svojim kolegama sa Zapada.

What I experienced as a child in that school in Madrid

Ono što sam kao dijete doživjela u onoj madridskoj školi

is happening in the literary world today.

događa se i u današnjem književnom svijetu.

Writers are not seen

Pisce se ne doživljava kao

as creative individuals on their own,

samostalne kreativne pojedince,

but as the representatives

već kao predstavnike

of their respective cultures:

svojih kultura.

a few authors from China, a few from Turkey,

Nekoliko pisaca iz Kine, nekoliko iz Turske,

a few from Nigeria.

nekoliko iz Nigerije.

We're all thought to have something very distinctive,

Svih nas se doživljava kao vrlo osobite,

if not peculiar.

ako ne i čudnovate.

The writer and commuter James Baldwin

Pisac i putnik, James Baldwin,

gave an interview in 1984

1984. je dao jedan intervju

in which he was repeatedly asked about his homosexuality.

u kojem ga se više puta upitalo za njegovu homoseksualnost.

When the interviewer tried to pigeonhole him

Kada ga je novinar pokušao smjestiti u ladicu

as a gay writer,

s homoseksualnim piscima,

Baldwin stopped and said,

Baldwin je zastao i rekao,

"But don't you see? There's nothing in me

"Ali, zar ne vidite? U meni nema ničeg

that is not in everybody else,

čega nema i u svakom drugom čovjeku,

and nothing in everybody else

i u drugima nema ničeg

that is not in me."

čega nema i u meni."

When identity politics tries to put labels on us,

Kada nas politika identiteta pokušava etiketirati,

it is our freedom of imagination that is in danger.

ugrožena je naša sloboda imaginacije.

There's a fuzzy category called

Postoji jedna pomalo nejasna kategorija

multicultural literature

poznata kao multikulturalna književnost,

in which all authors from outside the Western world

u koju su zajedno ubačeni svi pisci

are lumped together.

izvan zapadnjačkog svijeta.

I never forget my first multicultural reading,

Nikada neću zaboraviti svoje prvo multikulturalno čitanje,

in Harvard Square about 10 years ago.

na trgu Harvard prije 10-ak godina.

We were three writers, one from the Philippines,

Bilo nas je troje pisaca, jedan s Filipina,

one Turkish and one Indonesian --

jedan iz Turske i jedan iz Indonezije --

like a joke, you know.

znate, kao iz viceva...

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

And the reason why we were brought together

A razlog zašto su nas okupili

was not because we shared an artistic style

nije bio zato što smo dijelili isti umjetnički stil

or a literary taste.

ili književni ukus.

It was only because of our passports.

Jedini razlog su bile naše putovnice.

Multicultural writers are expected to tell real stories,

Od multikulturalnih pisaca očekuje se da pričaju stvarne priče,

not so much the imaginary.

a ne izmišljene.

A function is attributed to fiction.

Fikciji je dodijeljena funkcija.

In this way, not only the writers themselves,

Na taj način, ne samo pisci

but also their fictional characters

već i njihovi likovi

become the representatives of something larger.

postaju predstavnici nečeg većeg.

But I must quickly add

Ali, moram brzo dodati

that this tendency to see a story

da ova sklonost da se priču

as more than a story

doživljava kao nešto više od nje same

does not solely come from the West.

nije prisutna samo na Zapadu.

It comes from everywhere.

Prisutna je svugdje.

And I experienced this firsthand

A to sam iz prve ruke doživjela

when I was put on trial in 2005

kada sam 2005. sudski optužena

for the words my fictional characters uttered in a novel.

zbog riječi koje su moji izmišljeni likovi izgovarali u romanu.

I had intended to write

Bila sam namjeravala napisati

a constructive, multi-layered novel

konstruktivni, višeslojni roman

about an Armenian and a Turkish family

o jednoj armenskoj i jednoj turskoj obitelji

through the eyes of women.

iz perspektive jedne žene.

My micro story became a macro issue

Moja mikro priča na suđenju je postala

when I was prosecuted.

makro problem.

Some people criticized, others praised me

Neki su me kritizirali, neki hvalili

for writing about the Turkish-Armenian conflict.

zbog toga što sam pisala o tursko-armenskom sukobu.

But there were times when I wanted to remind both sides

Ali, u nekim sam trenucima obje strane željela podsjetiti

that this was fiction.

da je riječ o fikciji.

It was just a story.

Da je to samo priča.

And when I say, "just a story,"

A kada kažem "samo priča",

I'm not trying to belittle my work.

ne nastojim podcijeniti svoj rad.

I want to love and celebrate fiction

Želim voljeti i slaviti fikciju

for what it is,

zbog onog što ona jest,

not as a means to an end.

a ne kao sredstvo za određeni cilj.

Writers are entitled to their political opinions,

Pisci imaju pravo na svoje političke stavove,

and there are good political novels out there,

i u svijetu ima dobrih političkih romana,

but the language of fiction

ali, jezik fikcije

is not the language of daily politics.

nije jezik svakodnevne politike.

Chekhov said,

Čehov je rekao,

"The solution to a problem

"Rješenje nekog problema

and the correct way of posing the question

i ispravan način postavljanja pitanja

are two completely separate things.

dvije su potpuno različite stvari.

And only the latter is an artist's responsibility."

A umjetnik je odgovoran samo za ovu drugu".

Identity politics divides us. Fiction connects.

Politika identiteta nas razdvaja. Fikcija nas spaja.

One is interested in sweeping generalizations.

Jednu zanimaju široke generalizacije.

The other, in nuances.

Drugu nijanse.

One draws boundaries.

Jedna ocrtava granice.

The other recognizes no frontiers.

Druga granice ne priznaje.

Identity politics is made of solid bricks.

Politika identiteta sačinjena je od tvrde opeke.

Fiction is flowing water.

Fikcija je voda tekućica.

In the Ottoman times, there were itinerant storytellers called "meddah."

U otomansko doba, postojali su putujući pripovjedači nazvani "meddah".

They would go to coffee houses,

Odlazili bi u kavane,

where they would tell a story in front of an audience,

gdje bi pred publikom pripovijedali priče,

often improvising.

uglavnom improvizirajući.

With each new person in the story,

Sa svakim novim likom u priči,

the meddah would change his voice,

meddah bi promijenio glas,

impersonating that character.

utjelovljujući taj lik.

Everybody could go and listen, you know --

Svi su mogli ući i slušati,

ordinary people, even the sultan, Muslims and non-Muslims.

obični ljudi, čak i sultan, muslimani i ne-muslimani.

Stories cut across all boundaries,

Priče preskaču sve granice.

like "The Tales of Nasreddin Hodja,"

Poput "Priča o Nasrudinu Hodži",

which were very popular throughout the Middle East,

koje su bile popularne širom Srednjeg Istoka,

North Africa, the Balkans and Asia.

Sjeverne Afrike, Balkana i Azije.

Today, stories continue

I danas, priče nastavljaju

to transcend borders.

prelaziti granice.

When Palestinian and Israeli politicians talk,

Kada palestinski i izraleski političari razgovaraju,

they usually don't listen to each other,

obično jedni druge ne slušaju.

but a Palestinian reader

Ali, palestinski čitatelj

still reads a novel by a Jewish author,

i dalje čita roman židovskog pisca

and vice versa, connecting and empathizing

i obratno, povezujući se i suosjećajući

with the narrator.

s pripovjedačem.

Literature has to take us beyond.

Književnost nas mora odvesti onkraj.

If it cannot take us there,

Ako nas ne može tamo odvesti,

it is not good literature.

to onda nije dobra književnost.

Books have saved the introverted,

Knjige su spasile introvertirano,

timid child that I was -- that I once was.

sramežljivo dijete kakvo sam bila -- kakvo sam nekoć bila.

But I'm also aware of the danger

Ali, svjesna sam i opasnosti

of fetishizing them.

doživljavanja knjiga kao fetiša.

When the poet and mystic, Rumi,

Kada je pjesnik i mistik Rumi

met his spiritual companion, Shams of Tabriz,

sreo svog duhovnog pratitelja, Šemsa iz Tabriza,

one of the first things the latter did

jedna od prvih stvari koje je ovaj potonji napravio

was to toss Rumi's books into water

bilo je baciti Rumijeve knjige u vodu

and watch the letters dissolve.

i gledati kako se slova rastvaraju.

The Sufis say, "Knowledge that takes you not beyond yourself

Sufiji kažu: "Znanje koje te ne uzdigne iznad sebe samog

is far worse than ignorance."

daleko je gore od neznanja."

The problem with today's cultural ghettos

Problem današnjih kulturalnih getoa

is not lack of knowledge --

nije manjak znanja.

we know a lot about each other, or so we think --

Znamo puno jedni o drugima, ili barem tako mislimo.

but knowledge that takes us not beyond ourselves:

Ali, znanje koje nas ne uzdiže iznad nas samih,

it makes us elitist,

čini nas elitistima,

distant and disconnected.

hladnima i udaljenima.

There's a metaphor which I love:

Ima jedna metafora koja mi se sviđa:

living like a drawing compass.

živjeti poput šestara.

As you know, one leg of the compass is static, rooted in a place.

Kao što znate, jedan kraj šestara je nepomičan, ukorijenjen u jednoj točki.

Meanwhile, the other leg

Za to vrijeme, drugi kraj

draws a wide circle, constantly moving.

ocrtava veliki krug, i neprestano je u pokretu.

Like that, my fiction as well.

I moja je fikcija takva.

One part of it is rooted in Istanbul,

Jedan dio nje je ukorijenjen u Istanbulu,

with strong Turkish roots,

s jakim turskim korijenjem.

but the other part travels the world,

Ali, drugi dio putuje svijetom,

connecting to different cultures.

povezujući se s različitim kulturama.

In that sense, I like to think of my fiction

U tom smislu, svoju fikciju volim doživljavati

as both local and universal,

i kao lokalnu i kao univerzalnu,

both from here and everywhere.

koja pripada ovdje i svugdje.

Now those of you who have been to Istanbul

Oni među vama koji su bili u Istanbulu,

have probably seen Topkapi Palace,

vjerojatno su vidjeli palaču Topkapi

which was the residence of Ottoman sultans

koja je bila rezidencija otomanskih sultana

for more than 400 years.

više od 400 godina.

In the palace, just outside the quarters

U palači, odmah uz prostorije

of the favorite concubines,

njihovih najdražih konkubina,

there's an area called The Gathering Place of the Djinn.

postoji takozvano 'Okupljalište džina'.

It's between buildings.

Nalazi se među zgradama.

I'm intrigued by this concept.

Ova ideja me jako zanima.

We usually distrust those areas

Često smo nepovjerljivi prema područjima

that fall in between things.

koja se nalaze u međuprostoru.

We see them as the domain

Vidimo ih kao oblast

of supernatural creatures like the djinn,

nadnaravnih bića poput džina,

who are made of smokeless fire

koji su načinjeni od vatre bez dima

and are the symbol of elusiveness.

i simboliziraju neuhvatljivost.

But my point is perhaps

Ali, ono što želim reći je da je možda

that elusive space

upravo taj neuhvatljivi prostor

is what writers and artists need most.

ono što je piscima i umjetnicima najpotrebnije.

When I write fiction

Kada pišem romane,

I cherish elusiveness and changeability.

raduje me neuhvatljivost i promjenljivost.

I like not knowing what will happen 10 pages later.

Volim ne znati što će se dogoditi 10 stranica iza.

I like it when my characters surprise me.

Volim kada me moji likovi iznenade.

I might write about

U jednom bi romanu

a Muslim woman in one novel,

mogla pisati o muslimanki.

and perhaps it will be a very happy story,

I to će možda biti jako sretna priča.

and in my next book, I might write

A u sljedećoj bih knjizi mogla pisati

about a handsome, gay professor in Norway.

o zgodnom profesoru homoseksualcu u Norveškoj.

As long as it comes from our hearts,

Dok god pišemo iz srca,

we can write about anything and everything.

možemo pisati o bilo čemu.

Audre Lorde once said,

Audre Lorde je rekla:

"The white fathers taught us to say,

"Bijeli oci su nas učili da kažemo:

'I think, therefore I am.'"

'Mislim, dakle postojim.'"

She suggested, "I feel, therefore I am free."

Ona je predložila: "Osjećam, dakle slobodna sam".

I think it was a wonderful paradigm shift.

Mislim da je to bila krasna promjena obrasca.

And yet, why is it that,

Pa ipak, zašto danas

in creative writing courses today,

na tečajevima kreativnog pisanja

the very first thing we teach students is

prva stvar koju učimo studente je

"write what you know"?

da pišu o onom što poznaju?

Perhaps that's not the right way to start at all.

Možda uopće nije dobro tako započeti.

Imaginative literature is not necessarily about

Književnost ne znači nužno

writing who we are or what we know

pisati o onom što jesmo ili o onome što poznajemo

or what our identity is about.

ili o svom identitetu.

We should teach young people and ourselves

Trebamo učiti mlade i nas same

to expand our hearts

da širimo svoja srca

and write what we can feel.

i pišemo o onome što osjećamo.

We should get out of our cultural ghetto

Trebamo napustiti svoje kulturne getoe

and go visit the next one and the next.

i obići neki drugi geto, i još koji.

In the end, stories move like whirling dervishes,

Na koncu, priče se kreću poput derviša u vrtnji,

drawing circles beyond circles.

crtajući krugove preko krugova.

They connect all humanity,

One povezuju čitavo čovječanstvo,

regardless of identity politics,

bez obzira na politiku identiteta.

and that is the good news.

I to je dobra vijest.

And I would like to finish with an old Sufi poem:

Voljela bih završiti starim sufijskim stihovima.

"Come, let us be friends for once;

"Dođi, budimo načas prijatelji;

let us make life easy on us;

olakšajmo si život;

let us be lovers and loved ones;

budimo ljubavnici i voljeni;

the earth shall be left to no one."

zemlja neće ostati nikome."

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)