It’s not metaphysics. Suggestion yes. And sometimes it happens. Let literature take a step forward, leave the page and come to life: breath, pulse, voice. It happens in certain places that seem born to listen, like the Casa delle Culture in Cosenza. And last Tuesday night, the crowd arrived early. He occupied every chair. And then he waited in a silence that had the slow pace of important occasions. So, when David Szalay, Anglo-Hungarian author and recent winner of the Booker Prize with “Nella Carne” (Adelphi), crossed the threshold to present his novel, it was immediately noticeable. It was one of those moments when stories finally find someone who welcomes them. And literature comes to life.
Guest of the Altri Voci section, a space that the Sila Prize Foundation reserves every year for an international writer, Szalay chose Cosenza as the only stop on his Italian tour in southern Italy. And accompanying him and the audience was Marco Vigevani, a reference figure in the Italian publishing scene and one of the major European literary agents, who masterfully led an exciting journey through the pages of “Nella carne”.
At the end of the meeting, we interviewed him.
In “In the Flesh”, the narrative unfolds through different voices and perspectives: how did you face the challenge of making the characters’ voices credible and distinct?
«Mostly the book is told from the perspective of Istvan, the central character, but sometimes it also enters the point of view of other characters. It was a conscious choice to introduce these alternative perspectives only in some moments of the novel, because the reader is used to being inside Istvan’s vision, and switching to other points of view can become a significant experience. It allows us to give a richer and more multifaceted picture of the situation. At times, the narrative switches briefly to Allen’s perspective, other times to Thomas’s. They are not the only two points of view, but they are the ones that appear in the story. And the reader gets other angles on events. To do this, it was important to maintain the same style even when changing perspective, so as to make the transition very fluid.”
Your style is often described as “minimalist” and “cinematic”: do you think this approach has evolved with your Booker Prize-winning novel?
«Probably the book is written in a more minimalist style, but also more concise than my previous works, so there is a sort of evolution in the style. Despite this approach, it still has a rich texture, a complex texture. In reality, it’s about focusing on what’s really important: avoiding weighing down elements that are irrelevant to what the novel is trying to tell at that moment.”
The book addresses themes related to identity crisis, loneliness and human connection in contemporary Europe: what experiences inspired these reflections?
«I wanted to write a book that had an authentic look. And I thought about moving to England, to London. I have personal experience of those countries and immigration: over the last twenty years many Hungarian adults have moved to London. I know well what it entails, how difficult it is at the beginning to build a new life in a foreign country. I wanted it to be a novel about contemporary Europe. It talks about the European movement of people, especially from Eastern to Western countries, for economic reasons — a phenomenon that has become very relevant in recent decades.”
Have you ever had experiences similar to those of your characters, or were you inspired by true stories or encounters?
«In the case of “In the Flesh”, nothing is directly autobiographical. Istvan leads a completely different life from me, in every sense. And he is a person very far from me. I really wanted the book to talk about fundamental human experiences, about what underlies our condition and that, in some way, we all share. As for inspiration from stories I hear or see, I think one of the most inspiring aspects is this: when you know a situation too well, it becomes difficult to write about it. Sometimes it’s easier to approach a story as an outsider, as an observer: that’s where the most promising seed for a story often comes from.”
Which works or authors have had the strongest influence on your style and literary vision, and how are they reflected in “In the Flesh”?
«It is difficult to answer this question in general. In the specific case of “In the Flesh” there is an American novel, “Ultraluminous” by Katherine Faw. I received it by chance when I was in America and it had an influence on me. It talks about life in New York and has a very particular style: it is completely based on the description of the outside, of the surface of things, and manages to create a very powerful emotional effect by focusing on what is outside, with a dry, almost emotionless narrative voice. It is a book that influenced me in thinking about how to write “In the Flesh”, especially in the initial stages».
Is there a theme or narrative structure that you still want to explore in your next novels, and how do you think the Booker Prize recognition might influence your future choices?
“I’m very happy to have got halfway through writing a new book before winning the Booker. When you’re in the middle of the publishing process, it’s such a relief not to have to start something from scratch. Being able to continue writing and return to this new book, carrying on as before, is fundamental for me.”