The politics of fiction | Elif Shafak

Prevodilac: Sandra Gojic Lektor: Ivana Korom

I'm a storyteller.

Ja sam pripovedač.

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

To je ono čime se bavim u životu - pričam priče,

writing novels --

pišem romane.

and today I would like to tell you a few stories

I danas bih volela da vam ispričam nekoliko priča

about the art of storytelling

o umetnosti pripovedanja

and also some supernatural creatures

i nekim natprirodnim bićima

called the djinni.

zvanim đini.

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

Ali pre nego počnem sa tim, dozvolite mi da podelim sa vama

glimpses of my personal story.

deliće moje lične priče.

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

Uradiću to naravno uz pomoć reči,

but also a geometrical shape, the circle,

ali i uz pomoć kruga.

so throughout my talk,

I tokom mog govora,

you will come across several circles.

naići ćete na nekoliko krugova.

I was born in Strasbourg, France

Rođena sam u Strazburu, Francuska

to Turkish parents.

u turskoj porodici.

Shortly after, my parents got separated,

Nedugo potom, moji roditelji su se razdvojili,

and I came to Turkey with my mom.

i otišla sam za Tursku sa svojom mamom.

From then on, I was raised

Od tog momenta na dalje, odgajana sam

as a single child by a single mother.

kao jedino dete samohrane majke.

Now in the early 1970s, in Ankara,

U ranim '70-im, u Ankari,

that was a bit unusual.

to je bilo pomalo neobično.

Our neighborhood was full of large families,

Naše susedstvo je bilo puno velikih porodica,

where fathers were the heads of households,

gde su očevi bili glava porodice.

so I grew up seeing my mother as a divorcee

Tako da sam odrastala gledajući svoju razvedenu majku

in a patriarchal environment.

u patrijarhalnom okruženju.

In fact, I grew up observing

Ustvari, odrastala sam posmatrajući

two different kinds of womanhood.

dve različite vrste ženskosti.

On the one hand was my mother,

Sa jedne strane tu je bila moja majka,

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

dobro obrazovana, sekularna, moderna, zapadnjačka, turska žena.

On the other hand was my grandmother,

Sa druge strane je bila moja baka,

who also took care of me

koja se takođe brinula o meni

and was more spiritual, less educated

i bila više duhovna, manje obrazovana

and definitely less rational.

i definitivno manje racionalna.

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

Ovo je bila žena koja je čitala budućnost iz šolje

and melted lead into mysterious shapes

i topila olovo u misteriozne oblike

to fend off the evil eye.

da otkloni urok.

Many people visited my grandmother,

Mnogi ljudi su posećivali moju baku,

people with severe acne on their faces

ljudi sa ozbiljnim problemom akni na licima

or warts on their hands.

ili bradavica na rukama.

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

Svaki put, moja baka bi mrmljala neke reči na arapskom,

take a red apple and stab it

uzela crvenu jabuku i zabola

with as many rose thorns

onoliko ružinih trnova

as the number of warts she wanted to remove.

koliko bradavica je htela da ukloni.

Then one by one, she would

I onda bi jedan po jedan

encircle these thorns with dark ink.

trn okružila tamnim mastilom.

A week later, the patient would come back

Posle nedelju dana, pacijent bi se vratio

for a follow-up examination.

na kontrolni pregled.

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

E sad, svesna sam da ne bi trebalo da govorim ovakve stvari

in front of an audience of scholars and scientists,

pred publikom stručnjaka i naučnika,

but the truth is, of all the people

ali istina je da, od svih ljudi

who visited my grandmother for their skin conditions,

koji su posetili moju baku zbog problema sa kožom,

I did not see anyone go back

nisam videla ni jednu osobu da se vraća

unhappy or unhealed.

nesrećna ili neizlečena.

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

Upitala sam je kako to radi. Uz pomoć molitve?

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

Odgovorila je, "Da, molitva pomaže.

but also beware of the power of circles."

Ali takođe se pripazi moći krugova."

From her, I learned, amongst many other things,

Od nje sam naučila, pored mnogih drugih stvari,

one very precious lesson --

vrlo dragocenu lekciju.

that if you want to destroy something in this life,

A to je da ako želite da uništite nešto u ovom životu,

be it an acne, a blemish

bilo akne, mane,

or the human soul,

ili ljudsku dušu,

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

sve što treba da uradite jeste da to okružite debelim zidovima.

It will dry up inside.

Osušiće se iznutra.

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

Danas svi živimo u nekoj vrsti socijalnog i kultrunog kruga.

We all do.

Svi živimo.

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

Rođeni smo u određenoj porodici, naciji, klasi.

But if we have no connection whatsoever

Ali ako uopšte nismo povezani

with the worlds beyond the one we take for granted,

sa svetovima izvan onoga koji shvatamo zdravo za gotovo,

then we too run the risk

i nama preti opasnost

of drying up inside.

da se osušimo unutra.

Our imagination might shrink;

Naša mašta može da se skupi.

our hearts might dwindle,

Naša srca mogu se smanjiti.

and our humanness might wither

I naša humanost može uvenuti

if we stay for too long

ako ostanemo suviše dugo

inside our cultural cocoons.

unutar svojih kulturoloških čaura.

Our friends, neighbors, colleagues, family --

Naši prijatelji, susedi, kolege, porodica -

if all the people in our inner circle resemble us,

ako svi ljudi u našem unutrašnjem krugu liče na nas,

it means we are surrounded

to znači da smo okruženi

with our mirror image.

sa našim odrazom u ogledalu.

Now one other thing women like my grandma do in Turkey

Još jedna stvar koju žene poput moje bake čine u Turskoj

is to cover mirrors with velvet

je da pokriju ogledala sa kadifom

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

ili ih kače na zid tako da je poleđina okrenuta napolje.

It's an old Eastern tradition

To je stara istočnjačka tradicija

based on the knowledge that it's not healthy

zasnovana na znanju da nije zrdavo

for a human being to spend too much time

za ljudsko biće da provodi suviše vremena

staring at his own reflection.

gledajući u svoj odraz.

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

Ironično, zajednice istomišljenika

is one of the greatest dangers

predstavljaju jednu od najvećih opasnosti

of today's globalized world.

današnjeg globalizovanog sveta.

And it's happening everywhere,

I to se događa svuda,

among liberals and conservatives,

među liberalima i konzervativcima,

agnostics and believers, the rich and the poor,

agnosticima i vernicima, bogatima i siromašnima,

East and West alike.

na istoku kao i na zapadu.

We tend to form clusters

Imamo tendenciju da stvaramo skupine

based on similarity,

zasnovane na sličnosti,

and then we produce stereotypes

i onda stvaramo stereotipe

about other clusters of people.

o drugim skupinama ljudi.

In my opinion, one way of transcending

Prema mom mišljenju, jedan način prevazilaženja

these cultural ghettos

ovih kulturnih getoa

is through the art of storytelling.

je preko umetnosti pripovedanja.

Stories cannot demolish frontiers,

Priče ne mogu rušiti granice,

but they can punch holes in our mental walls.

ali mogu da stvaraju rupe u našim mentalnim zidovima.

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

I kroz te rupe, možemo uvideti nešto drugo,

and sometimes even like what we see.

što nam se čak može svideti.

I started writing fiction at the age of eight.

Počela sam da pišem fikciju oko osme godine.

My mother came home one day with a turquoise notebook

Moja majka je došla jednog dana sa tirkiznom beležnicom

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

i upitala me da li bih bila zainteresovana da vodim svoj lični dnevnik.

In retrospect, I think she was slightly worried

Kada pogledam u nazad, mislim da je bila pomalo zabrinuta

about my sanity.

za moj zdrav razum.

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

Stalno sam pričala priče po kući, što je bilo dobro,

except I told this to imaginary friends around me,

jedino što sam ih pričala svojim zamišljenim prijateljima,

which was not so good.

što nije bilo toliko dobro.

I was an introverted child,

Bila sam introvertno dete,

to the point of communicating with colored crayons

toliko da sam razvgovarala sa bojicama

and apologizing to objects

i izvinjavala se objektima

when I bumped into them,

kada bih naletela na njih.

so my mother thought it might do me good

Tako da je moja majka mislila da će mi koristiti

to write down my day-to-day experiences

da zapisujem svoja svakodnevna iskustva

and emotions.

i osećanja.

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

Ona nije znala da sam svoj život smatrala užasno dosadnim,

and the last thing I wanted to do

i poslednja stvar koju sam htela da radim

was to write about myself.

jeste da pišem o sebi.

Instead, I began to write about people other than me

Umesto toga, počela sam da pišem o drugim ljudima

and things that never really happened.

i stvarima koje se nikada zaista nisu dogodile.

And thus began my life-long passion

I tako počinje moja životna strast

for writing fiction.

za pisanjem fikcije.

So from the very beginning, fiction for me

Dakle, od samog početka, fantastika je za mene

was less of an autobiographical manifestation

bila više transcendentalno putovanje

than a transcendental journey

u tuđe živote i mogućnosti,

into other lives, other possibilities.

nego autobiografska manifestacija.

And please bear with me:

Molim vas ostanite sa mnom.

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

Nacrtaću krug i vratiću se na ovu tačku.

Now one other thing happened around this same time.

Desila se još jedna stvar u isto vreme.

My mother became a diplomat.

Moja majka je postala diplomata.

So from this small, superstitious,

Dakle, od te malog, sujevernog,

middle-class neighborhood of my grandmother,

srednjeklasnog susedstva moje bake,

I was zoomed into this

prebačena sam u tu

posh, international school [in Madrid],

modernu, međunarodnu školu,

where I was the only Turk.

gde sam bila jedina turkinja.

It was here that I had my first encounter

Ovde sam imala svoj prvi susret

with what I call the "representative foreigner."

sa onim što zovem "predstavnik stranaca."

In our classroom, there were children from all nationalities,

U našem razredu bilo je dece svih nacionalnosti.

yet this diversity did not necessarily lead

Ipak, ova različitost nije nužno vodila

to a cosmopolitan, egalitarian

u kosmopolitsku, izjednačujuću

classroom democracy.

odeljensku demokratiju.

Instead, it generated an atmosphere

Umesto toga, stvorila je atmosferu

in which each child was seen --

u kojoj svako dete nije viđeno

not as an individual on his own,

kao samostalna 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 nešto kao malene Ujedinjene Nacije, što je bilo zabavno,

except whenever something negative,

sem u onim slučajevima kada bi se nešto negativno

with regards to a nation

u vezi sa nacijom

or a religion, took place.

ili religijom dogodilo.

The child who represented it was mocked,

Detetu koje je predstavljalo naciju, bi se rugali,

ridiculed and bullied endlessly.

ismejavali ga i beskrajno maltretirali.

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

A ja to znam, jer tokom mog boravka u toj školi,

a military takeover happened in my country,

vojska je preuzela vlast u mojoj zemlji,

a gunman of my nationality nearly killed the Pope,

atentator moje nacionalnosti je skoro ubio Papu

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

a Turska je dobila 0 poena na takmičenju za pesmu Evrovizije.

(Laughter)

(smeh)

I skipped school often and dreamed of becoming a sailor

Često sam bežala iz škole tih dana i sanjala o tome

during those days.

da postanem mornar.

I also had my first taste

Tu sam takođe osetila ukus

of cultural stereotypes there.

kulturoloških stereotipa.

The other children asked me about the movie

Druga deca su me pitala za film

"Midnight Express," which I had not seen;

"Ponoćni ekspres," koji nisam gledala.

they inquired how many cigarettes a day I smoked,

Zanimalo ih je koliko cigareta popušim za dan,

because they thought all Turks were heavy smokers,

jer su mislili da su svi Turci teški pušači.

and they wondered at what age

I pitali su se sa koliko godina

I would start covering my hair.

ću početi da pokrivam svoju kosu.

I came to learn that these were

Shvatila 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 feredža.

After Spain, we went to Jordan, Germany

Posle Španije otišle smo u Jordan, Nemačku

and Ankara again.

i ponovo u Ankaru.

Everywhere I went, I felt like

Gde god sam otišla, osećala sam

my imagination was the only suitcase

da je moja mašta jedini kofer

I could take with me.

koji sam mogla da ponesem sa sobom.

Stories gave me a sense of center,

Priče su mi davale osećaj stabilnosti,

continuity and coherence,

stalnosti i sklada,

the three big Cs that I otherwise lacked.

tri velika S, koja su mi inače nedostajala.

In my mid-twenties, I moved to Istanbul,

Sredinom svojih dvadesetih, odselila sam se u Istanbul,

the city I adore.

grad koji obožavam.

I lived in a very vibrant, diverse neighborhood

Živela sam u vrlo živom, raznolikom susedstvu

where I wrote several of my novels.

gde sam napisala nekoliko svojih romana.

I was in Istanbul when the earthquake hit

Bila sam tu za vreme zemljotresa

in 1999.

1999.

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

Kada sam istrčala iz zgrade u tri ujutru,

I saw something that stopped me in my tracks.

videla sam nešto što me zaustavilo na mom putu.

There was the local grocer there --

Bila je tu lokalni prodavac -

a grumpy, old man who didn't sell alcohol

jedan prgav stari čovek koji nije prodavao alkohol

and didn't speak to marginals.

i nije razgovarao sa marginalcima.

He was sitting next to a transvestite

Sedeo je pored transvestita

with a long black wig

sa dugom crnom perikom

and mascara running down her cheeks.

i razmazanom maskarom na obrazima.

I watched the man open a pack of cigarettes

Posmatrala sam kako čovek otvara paklu cigareta

with trembling hands

drhatvim rukama

and offer one to her,

i kako joj nudi jednu.

and that is the image of the night of the earthquake

I to je slika noći zemljotresa

in my mind today --

u mojoj glavi danas -

a conservative grocer and a crying transvestite

konzervativni prodavac i uplakani transvestit

smoking together on the sidewalk.

puše zajedno na trotoaru.

In the face of death and destruction,

U suretu sa smrću i razaranjem

our mundane differences evaporated,

svakodnevne razlike su nestale

and we all became one

i svi smo postali jedno

even if for a few hours.

makar samo na par sati.

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

Ali ja sam oduvek smatrala da priče takođe imaju sličan efekat na nas.

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

Ne kažem da fikcija ima jačinu zemljotresa.

but when we are reading a good novel,

Ali kada čitamo dobar roman,

we leave our small, cozy apartments behind,

ostavljamo za sobom naše male, udobne stanove

go out into the night alone

izlazimo u noć sami

and start getting to know people we had never met before

i upoznajemo ljude koje nikada ranije nismo sreli

and perhaps had even been biased against.

i protiv kojih smo možda imali nešto protiv.

Shortly after, I went

Nedugo zatim, otišla sam

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

na ženski koledž u Boston, pa potom u Mičigen.

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

Iskusila sam ovo, ne toliko kao geografsku,

as a linguistic one.

koliko kao lingvističku promenu.

I started writing fiction in English.

Počela sam da pišem fikciju na engleskom.

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

Nisam imigrant, izbeglica ili prognanik.

they ask me why I do this --

Pitali su me zašto to radim.

but the commute between languages

Ali menjanje jezika

gives me the chance to recreate myself.

daje mi priliku da se ponovo stvaram.

I love writing in Turkish,

Volim da pišem na turskom

which to me is very poetic and very emotional,

koji smatram vrlo poetičnim i emotivnim.

and I love writing in English, which to me

I volim da pišem na engleskom, koji je za mene

is very mathematical and cerebral.

vrlo matematički i uman.

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

Tako da se osećam povezanom sa svakim jezikom na drugačiji način.

For me, like millions of other people

Za mene, kao za milione drugih ljudi

around the world today,

širom sveta danas,

English is an acquired language.

engleski jezik je stečen.

When you're a latecomer to a language,

Kada se kasno upoznate sa jezikom,

what happens is you live there

dešava se da živite

with a continuous

sa konstantnom

and perpetual frustration.

i upornom frustracijom.

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

Kao takvi, uvek želimo da kažemo više, znate,

crack better jokes, say better things,

ispričamo bolje viceve, kažemo bolje stvari.

but we end up saying less

Ali završimo govoreći manje

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

jer postoji praznina između uma i jezika.

And that gap is very intimidating.

I ta praznina je veoma zastrašujuća.

But if we manage not to be frightened by it,

Ali ako uspemo da je se ne plašimo,

it's also stimulating.

onda je to i stimulativno.

And this is what I discovered in Boston --

I to je nešto što sam otkrila u Bostonu -

that frustration was very stimulating.

frustracija je bila vrlo stimulativna.

At this stage, my grandmother,

U tom periodu, moja baka,

who had been watching the course of my life

koja je pratila moj životni put

with increasing anxiety,

sa rastućom anksioznošću,

started to include in her daily prayers

počela je u svoje dnevne molitve da uključuje

that I urgently get married

želju da se ja pod hitno udam

so that I could settle down once and for all.

kako bi se jednom zauvek skrasila.

And because God loves her, I did get married.

I pošto je Bog voli, ja se jesam udala.

(Laughter)

(smeh)

But instead of settling down,

Ali umesto da se skrasim,

I went to Arizona.

otišla sam u Arizonu.

And since my husband is in Istanbul,

I pošto je moj muž u Istanbulu,

I started commuting between Arizona and Istanbul --

počela sam da putujem na relaciji Arizona - Istanbul.

the two places on the surface of earth

Dva mesta na Zemlji

that couldn't be more different.

koja ne mogu više da se razlikuju.

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

Pretpostavljam da je jedan deo mene uvek bio nomadski,

physically and spiritually.

fizički i duhovno.

Stories accompany me,

Priče mi prave društvo,

keeping my pieces and memories together,

drže moje delove i uspomene zajedno,

like an existential glue.

poput nekog egzistencijalnog lepka.

Yet as much as I love stories,

Ipak, koliko god volela priče,

recently, I've also begun to think

nedavno sam počela da razmišljam

that they lose their magic

kako one gube svoju magičnost

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

ako i kada je priča viđena kao nešto više od same priče.

And this is a subject that I would love

I ovo je tema o kojoj bih volela

to think about together.

da zajedno razmislimo.

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

Kada je moj prvi roman na engleskom objavljen u Americi,

I heard an interesting remark from a literary critic.

čula sam zanimljivu opasku jednog književnog kritičara.

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

"Dopala mi se tvoja knjiga", rekao je, "ali voleo bih da si je napisala drugačije."

(Laughter)

(smeh)

I asked him what he meant by that.

Pitala sam ga šta misli pod tim.

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

Rekao je, "Pa, pogledaj je. Postoji toliko

Spanish, American, Hispanic characters in it,

likova koji su Španci, Amerikanci, Hispanosi,

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

ali samo jedan turski lik i to muški."

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

E sad, radnja je smeštena na univerzitetskom kampusu u Bostonu.

so to me, it was normal

Dakle, za mene, bilo je normalno

that there be more international characters in it

da bude više internacionalnih, nego

than Turkish characters,

turskih likova.

but I understood what my critic was looking for.

Ali razumela sam šta je moj kritičar tražio.

And I also understood that I

Takođe sam razumela da ću

would keep disappointing him.

nastaviti da ga razočaravam.

He wanted to see the manifestation of my identity.

Hteo je da vidi manifestaciju mog identiteta.

He was looking for a Turkish woman in the book

Tražio je tursku ženu u knjizi,

because I happened to be one.

jer sam igrom slučaja ja to bila.

We often talk about how stories change the world,

Često govorimo kako priče menjaju svet.

but we should also see how the world of identity politics

Ali trebalo bi da vidimo kako svet politike identiteta

affects the way stories

utiče na način na koji

are being circulated,

se priče šire,

read and reviewed.

čitaju i ocenjuju.

Many authors feel this pressure,

Mnogi autori osećaju ovaj pritisak,

but non-Western authors feel it more heavily.

ali autori koji nisu sa zapada to mnogo više osećaju.

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

Ako ste žena pisac iz muslimanskog sveta, poput mene,

then you are expected to write

onda se očekuje da pišete

the stories of Muslim women

priče o muslimanskim ženama

and, preferably, the unhappy stories

i po mogućstvu, nesrećne priče

of unhappy Muslim women.

o nesrećnim muslimanskim ženama.

You're expected to write

Očekuje se da pišete

informative, poignant and characteristic stories

informativne, dirljive i karakteristične priče,

and leave the experimental and avant-garde

a da eksperimentalne i avangarnde priče ostavite

to your Western colleagues.

svojim zapadnjačkim kolegama.

What I experienced as a child in that school in Madrid

Ono što sam doživela u onoj školi u Madridu kao dete

is happening in the literary world today.

dešava se u književnom svetu danas.

Writers are not seen

Pisci nisu viđeni

as creative individuals on their own,

kao kreativne individue,

but as the representatives

već kao predstavnici

of their respective cultures:

svojih određenih kultura.

a few authors from China, a few from Turkey,

Nekoliko autora iz Kine, Turske,

a few from Nigeria.

Nigerije.

We're all thought to have something very distinctive,

Misli se da svi imamo nešto vrlo drugačije,

if not peculiar.

ako ne posebno.

The writer and commuter James Baldwin

Pisac i putnik, Džejms Boldvin,

gave an interview in 1984

dao je jedan intrevju 1984.

in which he was repeatedly asked about his homosexuality.

u kojem je konstantno bio pitan za svoj homoseksualizam.

When the interviewer tried to pigeonhole him

Kada je novinar pokušao da ga svrsta u

as a gay writer,

kategoriju gej pisca,

Baldwin stopped and said,

Boldvin je stao i rekao,

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

"Ali zar ne vidite? Ne postoji ništa u meni

that is not in everybody else,

što ne postoji kod svakog drugog,

and nothing in everybody else

i ništa u drugima

that is not in me."

što ne postoji u meni."

When identity politics tries to put labels on us,

Kada politika identiteta pokušava da nas kategoriše,

it is our freedom of imagination that is in danger.

naša sloboda mašte je u opasnosti.

There's a fuzzy category called

Postoji nejasna kategorija nazvana

multicultural literature

multikulturalna književnost

in which all authors from outside the Western world

u kojoj su spojeni svi autori izvan

are lumped together.

zapadnjačkog sveta.

I never forget my first multicultural reading,

Nikada neću zaboraviti svoje prvo multikulturalno čitanje

in Harvard Square about 10 years ago.

na harvardskom trgu, pre nekih 10 godina.

We were three writers, one from the Philippines,

Bil je nas troje pisaca, jedan sa Filipina,

one Turkish and one Indonesian --

iz Turske i Indonezije -

like a joke, you know.

poput nekog vica, znate.

(Laughter)

(smeh)

And the reason why we were brought together

A razlog zbog kojeg smo bili zajedno

was not because we shared an artistic style

nije naš umetnički stil

or a literary taste.

ili književni ukus.

It was only because of our passports.

Već naši pasoši.

Multicultural writers are expected to tell real stories,

Od multikulturalnih pisaca se očekuje da pričaju prave priče,

not so much the imaginary.

ne toliko izmišljene.

A function is attributed to fiction.

Funkcija se odnosi na fikciju.

In this way, not only the writers themselves,

Na taj način, ne samo sami pisci,

but also their fictional characters

nego i njihovi izmišljeni likovi

become the representatives of something larger.

postaju predstavnici nečeg većeg.

But I must quickly add

Ali moram brzo da dodam

that this tendency to see a story

da ova tendencija da se priča

as more than a story

vidi kao nešto više,

does not solely come from the West.

ne dolazi isključivo sa zapada.

It comes from everywhere.

Dolazi sa svih strana.

And I experienced this firsthand

I lično sam to doživela

when I was put on trial in 2005

prilikom suđenja 2005.

for the words my fictional characters uttered in a novel.

zbog reči koje su moji izmišljeni likovi u romanu izgovarali.

I had intended to write

Namerila sam da napišem

a constructive, multi-layered novel

konstruktivan, višeslojan roman

about an Armenian and a Turkish family

o armenskoj i turskoj porodici,

through the eyes of women.

viđen kroz žensku perspektivu.

My micro story became a macro issue

Moja mala priča je postala veliki problem

when I was prosecuted.

kada sam krivično gonjena.

Some people criticized, others praised me

Neki ljudi su me kritikovali, drugi hvalili

for writing about the Turkish-Armenian conflict.

jer sam pisala o tursko - armenskom konfliktu.

But there were times when I wanted to remind both sides

Ali postojala su vremena kada sam htela da podsetim obe strane

that this was fiction.

da je ovo fikcija.

It was just a story.

Bila je to samo priča.

And when I say, "just a story,"

I kada kažem, "samo priča",

I'm not trying to belittle my work.

ne pokušavam da umanjim svoj rad.

I want to love and celebrate fiction

Želim da volim i slavim fikciju

for what it is,

zbog onog što jeste,

not as a means to an end.

a ne kao sredstvo za postizanje cilja.

Writers are entitled to their political opinions,

Pisci imaju pravo na sopstveni politički stav,

and there are good political novels out there,

i postoje odlični politički romani,

but the language of fiction

ali jezik fikcije

is not the language of daily politics.

nije jezik dnevne politike.

Chekhov said,

Čehov je rekao,

"The solution to a problem

"Rešenje problema

and the correct way of posing the question

i ispravan način postavljanja pitanja

are two completely separate things.

su dve potpuno različite stvari.

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

A samo ovo drugo je umetnikova odgovornost."

Identity politics divides us. Fiction connects.

Politika identiteta nas razdvaja. Fikcija spaja.

One is interested in sweeping generalizations.

Jedno od njih je zainteresovano za brisanje generalizacija.

The other, in nuances.

Drugo za nijanse.

One draws boundaries.

Jedno crta granice.

The other recognizes no frontiers.

Drugo ne prepoznaje barijere.

Identity politics is made of solid bricks.

Politika identiteta je sagrađena od čvrstih cigli.

Fiction is flowing water.

Fikcija je tekuća voda.

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

Za vreme otomansko carstva postojali su putujući pripovedači zvani "meddah".

They would go to coffee houses,

Odlazili bi u kafeterije,

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

gde bi pričali priče ispred publike,

often improvising.

često improvizujući.

With each new person in the story,

Sa svakom novom osobom u priči,

the meddah would change his voice,

pripovedač bi promenio svoj glas,

impersonating that character.

dočaravajući taj lik.

Everybody could go and listen, you know --

Svako je mogao da dođe i da sluša, znate -

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

obični ljudi, čak i sultan, muslimani i nemuslimani.

Stories cut across all boundaries,

Priče prelaze sve granice.

like "The Tales of Nasreddin Hodja,"

Poput "Priče Nasredin Hodže",

which were very popular throughout the Middle East,

koje su bile vrlo popularne na Srednjem Istoku,

North Africa, the Balkans and Asia.

Severnoj Africi, Balkanu i Aziji.

Today, stories continue

Danas, priče nastavljaju

to transcend borders.

da prevazilaze granice.

When Palestinian and Israeli politicians talk,

Kada palestinski i izraelski političari govore,

they usually don't listen to each other,

obično se slušaju jedni druge.

but a Palestinian reader

Ali palestinski čitalac

still reads a novel by a Jewish author,

i dalje čita roman jevrejskog autora,

and vice versa, connecting and empathizing

i obrnuto, povezujući se i saosećajući

with the narrator.

sa pripovedačem.

Literature has to take us beyond.

Književnost mora da nas odvede dalje.

If it cannot take us there,

Ako ne može to da učini,

it is not good literature.

onda nije dobra književnost.

Books have saved the introverted,

Knjige su spasile introvertno,

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

stidljivo dete koje sam bila - koje sam nekada bila.

But I'm also aware of the danger

Ali sam takođe svesna opasnosti

of fetishizing them.

njihove fetišizacije.

When the poet and mystic, Rumi,

Kada je pesnik i mističar, Rumi,

met his spiritual companion, Shams of Tabriz,

upoznao svog duhovnog saputnika, Šamza iz Tabriza,

one of the first things the latter did

jedna od prvih stvari koje je ovaj drugi učinio -

was to toss Rumi's books into water

bila je da baci Rumijeve knjige u vodu

and watch the letters dissolve.

i gleda kako se slova rastvaraju.

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

Sufisti kažu, "Znanje koje vas ne vodi izvan sebe

is far worse than ignorance."

je mnogo gore nego neznanje."

The problem with today's cultural ghettos

Problem sa savremenim kulturološkim getoima,

is not lack of knowledge --

nije nedostatak znanja.

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

Znamo mnogo jedni o drugima, ili bar mislimo.

but knowledge that takes us not beyond ourselves:

Ali ako nas znanje ne odvede izvan nas,

it makes us elitist,

čini da postanemo elitisti,

distant and disconnected.

udaljeni i nepovezani.

There's a metaphor which I love:

Postoji metafora koju volim:

living like a drawing compass.

živeti poput kompasa.

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

Kao što znate, jedna kazaljka kompasa se ne pomera, učvršćena je.

Meanwhile, the other leg

U međuvremenu, druga kazaljka

draws a wide circle, constantly moving.

pravi širok krug, stalno se pomerajući.

Like that, my fiction as well.

I moja mašta je takva.

One part of it is rooted in Istanbul,

Jedan deo je ukorenjen u Istanbulu,

with strong Turkish roots,

sa jakim turskim korenima.

but the other part travels the world,

Ali drugi deo putuje svetom,

connecting to different cultures.

povezujući se sa različitim kulturama.

In that sense, I like to think of my fiction

U tom smislu, volim da mislim da je moja fikcija

as both local and universal,

i lokalna i univerzalna,

both from here and everywhere.

odavde i od svuda.

Now those of you who have been to Istanbul

Oni od vas koji su posetili Istanbul,

have probably seen Topkapi Palace,

verovatno su videli Topkapi Zamak,

which was the residence of Ottoman sultans

koji je bio rezidencija otomanskim sultanima

for more than 400 years.

više od 400 godina.

In the palace, just outside the quarters

U zamku, izvan dela

of the favorite concubines,

sa omiljenim konkubinama,

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

je Mesto Okupljanja Djina.

It's between buildings.

Nalazi se između zgrada.

I'm intrigued by this concept.

Interesuje me ovaj koncept.

We usually distrust those areas

Obično ne verujemo tim delovima

that fall in between things.

koje se nalaze između.

We see them as the domain

Vidimo ih kao oblast

of supernatural creatures like the djinn,

nadnaravnih čudovišta poput djina.

who are made of smokeless fire

koji su napravljeni od vatre bez dima,

and are the symbol of elusiveness.

i simbol su nedokučivosti.

But my point is perhaps

Ali ono što želim da kažem

that elusive space

je da je taj nejasan prostor

is what writers and artists need most.

ono što pisci i umetnici najviše trebaju.

When I write fiction

Kada pišem fikciju,

I cherish elusiveness and changeability.

čeznem za nedostižnošću i promenljivošću.

I like not knowing what will happen 10 pages later.

Volim činjenicu da neću znati šta će se desiti 10 strana kasnije.

I like it when my characters surprise me.

Volim kada me moji likovi iznenade.

I might write about

Možda ću pisati o

a Muslim woman in one novel,

muslimanskim ženama u nekom romanu.

and perhaps it will be a very happy story,

I možda će to biti vrlo srećna priča.

and in my next book, I might write

I u mojoj sledećoj knjizi, možda ću pisati

about a handsome, gay professor in Norway.

o zgodnom, gej profesoru u Norveškoj.

As long as it comes from our hearts,

Sve dok dolazi iz naših srca,

we can write about anything and everything.

možemo da pišemo o svemu i svačemu.

Audre Lorde once said,

Odri Lord jednom reče,

"The white fathers taught us to say,

"Beli očevi su nas učili da kažemo,

'I think, therefore I am.'"

"Mislim, dakle postojim."

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

Predložila je, "Osećam, dakle slobodna sam."

I think it was a wonderful paradigm shift.

Mislim da je to divna promena paradigme.

And yet, why is it that,

Ipak, zašto je

in creative writing courses today,

prva stvar koju danas učimo studente

the very first thing we teach students is

na kursevima kreativnog pisanja

"write what you know"?

da pišu ono što znaju?

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

Možda to uopšte nije ispravan način da se započne.

Imaginative literature is not necessarily about

Maštovita književnost nije nužno povezana

writing who we are or what we know

sa pisanjem o tome šta jesmo ili šta znamo

or what our identity is about.

ili šta predstavlja naš identitet.

We should teach young people and ourselves

Trebalo bi da učimo mlade ljude i sebe

to expand our hearts

da proširimo svoja srca

and write what we can feel.

i da pišemo ono što osećamo.

We should get out of our cultural ghetto

Trebalo bi da izađemo iz našeg kutlurološkog geta

and go visit the next one and the next.

i da posetimo ostala.

In the end, stories move like whirling dervishes,

Na kraju, priče se kreću poput dervišovog plesa,

drawing circles beyond circles.

praveći krugove izvan krugova.

They connect all humanity,

One povezuju čitavo čovečanstvo,

regardless of identity politics,

bez obzira na politiku identiteta.

and that is the good news.

I to je odlična vest.

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

I htela bih da završim sa starom Sufi pesmom.

"Come, let us be friends for once;

"Hajde, budimo prijatelji bar jednom;

let us make life easy on us;

hajde da olakšamo život;

let us be lovers and loved ones;

hajde da volimo i budemo voljeni;

the earth shall be left to no one."

zemlja nikome neće biti ostavljena."

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(aplauz)