She never thought regarding whether she is a good writer of children’s books, even if she has been awarded the most important prizes of the genre. For her, the important thing in creating a teenage read was and still is a triad of questions: “Is this the best book for a particular teenager at a particular time? Is this book that makes a young person feel less alone? Is this book going to help a teenager make decisions regarding the future?’
Award-winning author Lois Lowry, who has written over fifty books for children and young adults, talks to ET. on the occasion of the novel “The Giver”, 1993, which was also released this year in Greek by “Papadopoulos” publications.
“I’m a grandma now…”
Our conversation began with the starting point when she wrote the book “The Keeper of Memory” and ended with today, who is undoubtedly one of the greatest American writers of young people’s literature of the 20th century through the lens of the grandmother… “I am a grandmother now,” she confesses and Lois Lowry continues: “For my own grandchildren – and for all those of their generation – I try, through writing, to convey my passionate realization that on this planet we live in interconnectedness.”
However, regarding how she started writing the novel “The Keeper of Memory”, the 87-year-old author recalls: “Once, during a visit to my elderly father in 1992, I realized that his memory was slipping. She had forgotten my much-loved big sister, Helen, who had died when she was young. It saddened me to realize that he had forgotten Helen, but at the same time I found myself thinking how much more comfortable I would feel if I let go of the painful memories. What burden can such sorrow be? I began to wonder if this was something to be desired: a world where no one remembered pain or hardship. Of course, when a writer begins to wonder, a story begins to be born.” The protagonist of her story is the twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a peaceful community: hunger, pain, war have been eliminated, both from life and from people’s memory. The necessities of life are assured for all. Jonas might never have thought that something might go wrong in his world, that the price for all of this might be terrible. Written in 1993, the novel has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide, was named by the ‘School Library Journal’ as one of the four best children’s novels of all time, and is now considered a classic landmark in the science fiction genre. In 1994 she was awarded the highly prestigious Newbery Medal for her book.
Relationships
He has written more than 50 books for children and teenagers. As she has stated, her books vary in content and style, but the main issue is “the importance of human relationships”. “How we influence, change and honor, respect each other is the most important thing to me. We are going through somewhat dangerous times for relationships of all kinds as we grapple with issues of Artificial Intelligence and robots that seem to dehumanize us. But I am optimistic and believe that the human soul and heart will always prevail”, comments Lois Lowry regarding the values that human emotions carry. As for the Newbery Medal award, the author replies: “It’s gratifying, of course, to stand out, to be recognized in this way. At the same time, I feel uncomfortable with the concept of “famous”. Like most writers, I value solitude. Although I am very honored by the award, I would like to tell you that my greatest rewards are the letters I receive from new readers.”
Our extremely interesting discussion led to the relationship of teenagers with literature. “It’s disappointing to realize that teenagers are less interested in literature today than in the past. But imagination and curiosity are not less present, they just start to take more varied forms”, states the prolific author and emphasizes: “We writers have to keep up with a changing world”.
“I have not travel never in Hellas”
“Unfortunately, I have never traveled to Greece”, he tells us, but he knows it! “Near my house, however, there is a restaurant called “Zorba’s” and every Friday night they have musicians who perform Greek music. So, I eat avgolemono and moussaka and listen to bouzouki and pretend I’m, for one night, in Athens or Mykonos,” says the acclaimed author.
Info
“THE MEMORY GUARDIAN”
LOIS LOWRY
TRANSLATION: Philip Mandilaras
EDITIONS: “Papadopoulos”
PAGE: 248
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