Tinė Høeg, creator of the novel “Tour de chambre”: “Need is the everlasting joker” | Tradition

The plot of the novel revolves round 33-year-old Asta, who, whereas making ready a manuscript a couple of little-known Polish sculptor, begins to put in writing a way more private story about dwelling in a dormitory throughout her research. Events, jokes, ambitions, bare ardour and admiration for artwork are intertwined right here. Written in a poetic type uncommon for the novel style, Tour de chambre pulsates with the extraordinary feeling of experiencing the world in your twenties.

We speak to creator Tine Høeg in regards to the title of the e-book, the experiences of youth, loneliness, love and friendship, and creativity because the driving drive behind the whole lot.

– Room tour. What’s it and why did it turn out to be the title of your novel?

– Room tour – it is a wild social gathering within the dorm, the place you journey from one room to a different and every resident has provide you with a theme. Marriage ceremony, techno, time, Christmas – no matter. It is a progressively escalating night time of consuming and dressing up, a sport, a masquerade that permits you to go wild.

My novel is about prior to now, in a dormitory, and is centered round a loss of life that has occurred room tour throughout leisure. It’s the night and the night time when the whole lot reaches its climax. On the similar time, the novel accommodates plenty of totally different actions in areas, transitions and adjustments, concrete and current solely within the thoughts. I at all times knew that the novel must be known as Chamber tour.

– Why did you resolve to inform the story within the dormitory area?

– A dormitory is a form of cauldron of feelings, a community of relationships. Friendships, falling in love, lust, jealousy – the whole lot is right here. Every thing is crammed into a really tight area and unfold amongst a number of individuals. The right medium for drama!

Collectively, the dormitory is a small household, a group. I personally have lived in a dormitory – it was the primary place I moved to after leaving dwelling, and it is usually a logo of youth. Blooming, the start of grownup life. What occurs when loss of life invades? It is a stark distinction that begs for description.

– The novel tells about Asta, a younger girl in her thirties. She is single, lives alone and is writing her second e-book. Standing on the edge of mature life. What do you assume is particular about this stage of life?

– “Third part of youth,” Asta says someplace. In a way, she is totally and at last grown up – within the prime of life. However he actually has nothing to carry on to. She appears like she’s floating, however most of all, she’s extraordinarily lonely. I’m accustomed to this age as a result of I’m midway by means of it myself. He caught me in his debut novel New passengers.

Wanting round, I discover that the id disaster is a reasonably widespread phenomenon of this age, but it’s typically neglected in society and, I believe, is partly decided by the identical society. Till now, deeply rooted and sick expectations of what grownup life ought to appear like, particularly household life. Father, mom and kids. Additionally reproductive strain for ladies. That ladies’s ovaries are nonetheless unjustifiably thought-about public property. The truth that strangers can intrude, why you do not have a toddler, or ask your age, after which say, “Similar to that.” This infuriates Asta, however on the similar time she feels a powerful have to belong to somebody, to create one thing past herself. It is ambivalent, so it is an attention-grabbing scenario.

– Asta and Mai are finest pals, however Asta is hesitant to share the whole lot. Why is that? And what pursuits you in friendship?

– Friendship is a love connection that may be as sophisticated as a romantic relationship, simply as sturdy and decisive. Additionally filled with deceit and secrets and techniques. Nevertheless, Asta carries one thing inside herself that she has by no means been in a position to share. I might say disgrace and guilt. They’re carefully associated to sure actions prior to now, and within the current – to writing, she feels that she has robbed Mai, betrayed the one she loves. On the similar time, it is an urge she will’t resist, which I believe is an issue for all creators. It worries me too. What can friendship endure?

Asta faces varied inside obstacles that forestall her from making a connection, however on the similar time she feels an excellent want and starvation for it. Mai is extra open and has a extra fertile thoughts. The dynamic between the 2 is fascinating, it’s attention-grabbing to seize it. To permit very totally different characters to attach with one another, to contain them in a fancy, harmful and painful occasion. The fascinating factor about friendship is that it may well’t rattle off issues, there is no bodily valve, no straightforward means out of battle. Every thing is simply phrases, simply ethics and morality.

– Within the novel, you depict love, want and longing with each tenderness and humor. What’s most intriguing about these emotions?

– Need is an everlasting joker. It’s like an incessant lava circulate flowing under the whole lot, which may out of the blue explode all established boundaries, destroy ethical norms. It is lovely and harmful as hell. I’m drawn to that greater than anything.

Though I’ve already written a few novels with younger individuals as the primary characters, it is a fully common and timeless theme. Many occasions in life we ​​face dilemmas arising from instincts and needs. I believe it is sophisticated, however not essentially a foul factor. Wishes awaken and push you to the place all emotions are felt most strongly. It is price being shocked, it is vital to not hibernate. It is about time! After which you might want to take advantage of acceptable selections.

Chamber tour want and longing will not be solely erotic or romantic, but additionally associated to artwork, the need to create. I have never written about this earlier than, however these two impulses are associated, in some way coming from the identical place within the physique or mind.

– When did you notice that you just needed to put in writing? What does writing imply to you? And the place do you discover inspiration?

– I’ve at all times been involved in phrases. Spelling them, enthusiastic about them, connecting them. For a few years, the need to turn out to be a author was a secret that I didn’t totally inform even myself. Writing was one thing I did at nighttime, in a rush, subsequent to on a regular basis life, regular work. It wasn’t till I received the prize for my debut novel that I spotted: OK, now that is critical. Shut your eyes, fall.

I’ve a little bit of an issue with the phrase “inspiration”. I am undecided I do know what it’s. I am not chasing some form of gentle and I can not clarify what occurred, for instance Chamber tour starting Maybe the best thought in regards to the place. Dormitory. It was attention-grabbing. Demise, falling in love. How the novel, with its plot, characters, patterns, and connections, grew out of it, I can not say. This occurs in speech, when I’m with speech, the creation is on the similar time underneath my management and fully out of my arms. Aware and unconscious on the similar time.

I do know I am continually accumulating materials. It’s not an lively motion, it appears to be my means of being on the earth – to watch. To recollect, to guard. Writing is the power to see nicely. And the power to make use of language to make others see. Readability, accuracy.

– In each of your novels, you problem readers’ style expectations. With brief sentences, line breaks and punctuation, you create a poetic and minimalist type. Perhaps you possibly can inform us somewhat bit about what this type means to you – what do you assume it may well do?

– For me, phrases are like elements, components. I put them collectively, put them collectively, take them aside and put them again collectively once more, thus growing scenes and meanings.

In comparison with the debut e-book, on this e-book I expanded my repertoire rather a lot, I used commas and durations, hehe. There have been so many new alternatives for change of tempo and networking, it was nearly intoxicating.

I exploit each punctuation and line breaks with excessive care, however I do not care about grammar and common guidelines. I’ve invented my very own type that finest conveys my materials. Then it is nice to have the ability to problem individuals’s imaginations of what a “actual” novel appears like.

The interview was initially printed on the web site of the Danish publishing home “Gutkind” on Might 27, 2020.