How did the idea of writing the novel “And let the dead bury their dead” begin?
I was at a vigil. We were spending the night with my father’s brother, and those present said goodbye to the deceased, speaking to him, as we always speak to our dead. What would he think if he heard us? What would it tell us if it could speak? Through these simple questions emerged, at the same time, over my uncle’s corpse, the central idea. I imagined, at the same time, my hero, a young boy who can listen to their thoughts, his uncle, who will want to take advantage of his nephew’s gift, their wandering from village to village and from funeral to funeral.
Is the title “And let the dead bury their dead” symbolic or does it mean something literal?
I dare say its meaning is twofold. One can think that he is referring to the dead who, through the lips of Fanouris, have the incredible opportunity to speak and clear up the accounts they had left unpaid, to resolve the outstanding issues that tormented them all their lives, but only through the freedom offered by death they feel they can face now. On the other hand, it can refer to the living, to all of us who live embalmed in a lie, who live daily denying our real desires, who live as if they were dead.
A young boy discovers at the funeral of a relative that he has the ability to hear the thoughts of the dead. Why doesn’t anyone believe it?
Although those were times when people still believed in ghosts and elves, it makes sense to be wary of such an extreme claim. Even today, the villagers combine these characteristics of credulity and suspicion, prone to deception and at the same time headstrong. However, after the book, after unmistakable signs, they were convinced, something that would probably not happen today. If Fanouris were alive today, psychiatrists would take him in and the story would end there.
Until his uncle realizes that he can exploit this ability. How does Fanouri’s mother not react to this situation?
The uncle is the only man in the family, the protector, the one who has the first say. After all, their financial situation is dire and “interpreting” the language of the dead can, indeed, bring in a lot of money, as it did, at least in the beginning. Besides, at that time a fifteen-year-old was considered old enough to leave home, work, go to school in the big city, go on ships.
You write that the dead always tell the truth and the living don’t want to hear truths. Can you tell us a little bit about what you are formulating?
If we started telling only truths, our world would fall apart. The dead are honest, because they have nothing left to lose. What they invite us to reflect on is how much of our hypocrisy we really need and how much is an unnecessary burden that covers us up. The whole book is based on this contrast, the world of the living and the world of the dead, the inability of the dead to lie, their obsession with the truth.
Through the monologues of the dead, a criticism is made of society. Can this critique correct some wrong things that happen in society that we can’t talk about?
Criticism, through art, philosophy, political discourse, is certainly the first, necessary step for any change, just as self-criticism is necessary to change what is wrong with oneself. The problem is that critical thinking constantly fades away, to be dominated by whining – everyone complains all the time, about everything – or a sterile complaint, as everyone feels the need to complain, everyone is a victim and never a perpetrator.
What are the components of the novel’s hero, Fanouris?
He is pure, inexperienced, innocent. That’s why I wanted him to be fifteen and no older, no longer a child but not yet a man. He is in a hurry to grow up, take off his shorts, shave, get to know love, life. He is generally gullible, he admires his uncle, who is the only male role model in his life, and he will have to go through a lot to be able to debunk him. The stories of the dead, the truths they reveal to him, as well as all the improbable adventures he experiences during his wanderings, affect him deeply, load him with the burden of a conscience that is too heavy for his young shoulders.
At some point the young hero falls in love. How does love become a catalyst and change everything?
This is the function of love, its mission. Already from ancient times, Hesiod describes him as the force that moves all associations. Without him everything would remain still, apathetic, satisfied with itself. Love is motivation, suffering and redemption together, since it makes us “restless”, it forces us to act, to live, to consume ourselves. It is the polar opposite of death. Opposite but not opposite, since even death does nothing but catalyze ties, reshuffle the deck so that the game can continue.
How did you feel when your book became a big hit?
I had the book on my shelf for over five years, having been rejected by more than twenty publishers, so after so much accumulated disappointment, the book’s success was a breath of fresh air that I had stopped expecting.
Info
“AND THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD”
MICHALIS ALBATIS
EDITIONS: “ISLAND”
PAGE: 470
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#writer #Michalis #Albatis