Good day Mr. Bang Foss. My name is Juliane Seidel and for the Books-Online-Magazine Splashbooks (www.splashbook.sde) I have the pleasure to ask you a few questions.
What gave you the Idea for "Døden kører Audi"?
Kristian Bang Foss: I had the idea while working as a helper for a disabled guy in a suburb of Copenhagen.
Are there real examples for Asger and Waldemar, or are the other Characters (the wonder healer, the artists community in France) based upon real Persons? If so, what were these peoples?
I think all my character's has a part of me in them, a part of people I met, and a part that is pure imagination. There is only one person in the novel that has taken his name after a real person, and that is the healer in Morocco: Torbi el Mekki.
Does Stentofte really exist or has it been created as an example for a certain milieu? Have you lived in such a milieu or do you know someone from your friends or relatives?
Stentofte is an imaginary name, but is it based on a certain suburb to Copenhagen - the one where I worked as a helper. But the positive aspects of the milieu has been taken away, so there is only the grimness of the place left. I think it creates a good contrast to the friendship between Asger and Waldemar.
How did you get the idea, to show death in such a special way?
It is a modern update of the classical image of the grimm reaper on a horse. I have been inspired by the small movie called "They Caught the Ferry" by Danish master director Th. Dreyer. It is based on a short story by Johannes V. Jensen, a favorite author of mine. In the movie a couple on a motorbike hurries to catch a ferry and overtakes a person in a car, that looks like death himself. The mysterious driver is a common theme in popular culture. And I like titles that starts with death; "Death in the afternoon", "Death in Venice" etc.
Have you ever participated on such a roadtrip? If so, did you experience some of the things, that Waldemar and Asgar experienced, for yourself?
I love driving and have made many road trips. And in the years leading up to the period where I wrote the novel, I travelled a lot. But I have never gone to see a healer in Morocco.
Have there been reactions of your readers that you remember especially?
I met a couple that both where in wheel chairs and had read the book and like it a lot. I guess it can be a sensitive subject, so the positive reaction made me happy.
How long did you work on the book? How much research have you done before?
I haven't really done any research, but instead I just use what I know and what I have experienced. I worked on the book for a couple of years.
"Døden kører Audi" is your third novel. Sadly, your other books haven't been published in Germany. So, how strong does "Døden kører Audi" differ from you other novels? Are there any returning elements, or is there a huge difference between all of your three books?
I like to believe the books are very different. But a thing my last two novels have in common is that they are both inspired by a job I've had. My last novel, "Stormen i 99" ("The storm in '99") takes place in a warehouse in Copenhagen where I've worked myself.
How did you become a writer? Has there been a key moment?
Reading Kafka when I was a teenager made me want to write. Before that I was very much into cartoons and drew a lot myself, and i guess my writing started with the cartoons. And inspiration from cartoonists like Carl Barks and Herge can still be found in my writing.
What are you currently reading?
I am reading a Danish book about salmon fishing by Jan Grünwald called "Laks". Besides that I am reading "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy. But I have only just started and don't really have any opinion on it yet, besides that I like his style.
Do you have any authors or literarily examples, whose books you like to read?
I like Josep Conrad and have learned a lot about writing by studying him.
Thank you for the answers. |