Confessions and dog ears – ckecked in with Gulraiz Sharif

We introduce the authors of the 22nd ilb – with questions about writing, reading and unfinished reading.

Confession time: Which major classic have you started… but not
finished?
That must be: »War and Peace«, written by Leo Tolstoy.

The age-old question: hardback or paperback? And why?
Hardback, it gives me that old skool bookfeeling, a book is a hardback, you have to open up a book, as a hardback, because then you will get the feeling of that, it is a book, it is waiting to be opened up, by a human, and you must go through the hardback to come to softer papers.

If an unpublished book was to be discovered by an author, which author would you want that to be?
That author must be Fyodor Dostoevsky, the masterwriter. Because, the world would get an upublished book by him, that would be exciting and fun. A big happening in the world of literature. Wow! A new discovered book by Dostoyevsky. Just wow!

The essential question: bookmarks or dog ears?
I have a bookmark since I was a kid, I am very fond of it, it’s redish velvety and leathery, but I don`t always know where it is, so I have to go with a good old dog ear, or as we say in Norway, donkey ear.

Which book is on your nightstand just now?
Right now it’s »East, west, north, south« written by Geir Lundestad. It’s a book about international politics after 1945.

Which is your favorite book store in the whole world?
A bookstore called »Norli«, which is in Universitetsgata in Oslo.

Who was your greatest discovery of the year so far? And why?
Unni Lindell, she is mindblowing, so ultra cool, she is the queen of Norwegian crime fiction, and she delivers great books, great literature, allways up to date, allways smooth, awesome. I am a big fan.

If you were allowed to read only one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Only one book, I would have answered »Crime and Punishment« by Dostoevsky, but now I have to say »The Brothers Karamazov«, by Dostoevsky. I really want to study the layers of the book, study the text, the quality, I don’t think I will ever be bored by that book. It’s a total package when it comes to good literature.

Where do you prefer to write, and why?
On my kitchen table. Because I have a little corner there, and a chair where I have everything I need for writing, my glasses, my notebook, my laptop, my blue ink pen, my laptop and glasses cleaning cloth, and my wireless mouse. Plus, the kettle is nearby, black coffee is nearby, tea and honey also, and a balcony door which can be opened up so fresh air can come inside for a visit. Plus a water tap so I can drink fresh cold water whenever I am thirsty. Simple things that makes life easy.

Do you read your own books after they’ve been published?
Maybe 4-5 pages, here and there, now and then, sometime, just to see what I wrote, I am surpised every time, by my own quality, just joking.

We look forward to welcoming Gulraiz Sharif to this years’ international literature festival berlin in September. The events in connection with his book »Hør her’a!« are part of the section International Children’s and Young Adult Literature.