Clayton McKee este directorul grupului Trafika Europe. Este specialist ??n literatur?? comparat??, cu o licen???? ??n francez?? ??i spaniol?? ??i arab?? ??i un masterat ??n literatur?? comparat?? la Penn State University. ??n prezent, este doctorand la Universitatea din California, Los Angeles. Scrie poezie ??i fic??iune. (Bianca Zbarcea)

Drag?? Clayton, ca specialist ??n literatur?? comparat??, cum vezi tu literatura european?? de azi? Exist?? trenduri, structuri, obsesii comune ??ntre literatura european?? ??i cea de peste Ocean? Care parte a Europei i??i este mai familiar???

Voi ??ncepe cu ???limit??rile mele geografice???, deoarece consider c?? este important s??-mi explic punctul de vedere ??nainte de a r??spunde la aceast?? ??ntrebare. Sunt mult mai familiarizat cu Europa de Vest, ??n special cu Fran??a ??i Spania. Am tr??it ??n Fran??a c????iva ani ??n locuri diferite ??i, din anumite motive, sunt extrem de atras de literatura, istoria ??i cultura francez??, limba francez?? fiind, de altfel, limba principal?? ??n locuin??a mea. Pe l??ng?? studiul literaturii francofone, am studiat spaniola ceva timp ??i m-am concentrat pe literatura castilian?? din cauza presiunilor academice de a g??si o ???specialitate???. Iubesc literatura spaniol??, dar sunt mult mai atras de cea cubanez??; Spania a c????tigat din cauza acestei nevoi de specializare. Sunt o persoan?? foarte curioas??, a??a c?? multe tipuri de literatur?? ??i multe culturi ??mi par interesante, ceea ce m?? determin?? s?? cercetez aproape fiecare lucrare sau loc pe care le public??m ??n jurnal ??? o mare parte dintre aceste cercet??ri r??m??n la nivel superficial din cauza constr??ngerilor de timp. Zonele ??n care am explorat pu??in mai mult sunt Scandinavia ??? obsesia mea pentru horror, noir ??i mitologie m-a determinat s?? creez ??i s?? predau un curs despre folosirea mitologiei nordice ??n romanele ??i filmele contemporane din ????rile scandinave ??? ??i Irlanda.

Acum c?? am precizat acest lucru, voi ??ncerca s??-mi exprim punctul de vedere ??n rela??ie cu o ??ntrebare foarte dificil??. Personal, v??d literatura european?? mai conectat?? dec??t ??nainte. Desigur, cunosc ??i conceptul lui Goethe, de literatur?? mondial??, ??i importan??a traducerii pe continent pentru a stabili diferite tradi??ii literare ??i na??ionale. Deci, cu siguran???? nu vreau s?? spun c?? literatura european?? nu a fost conectat?? ??i ??nainte! Cred ??ns?? c?? mul??i autori europeni au acum de-a face cu probleme care afecteaz?? at??t de multe aspecte din afara grani??elor na??ionale ale unui autor. Au trecut de mult vremurile criticilor practicilor coloniale sau ale stabilirii unei tradi??ii na??ionale. Neocolonialismul ??i capitalismul se extind adesea dincolo de grani??ele na??ionale, iar vocile mai diversificate permit o gam?? mai larg?? de pove??ti care s?? fie transmise lumii. De asemenea, autorii nu sunt sta??ionari ??i colaboreaz?? cu autori ??i arti??ti din diferite ????ri. Putem ad??uga la asta num??rul de autori care s-au mutat ??n Europa sau prin Europa ??i au ??nceput s?? produc?? literatur?? ??n limbi noi. De exemplu, am citit anul acesta (pentru un interviu) un roman de Sholeh Rezazadeh. S-a n??scut ??n Iran, dar acum locuie??te ??n ????rile de Jos ??i scrie ??n olandez??. Lucrarea ei, ??n special romanul I Know a Mountain that Is Waiting for Me, exploreaz?? conectivitatea Olandei ??i Iranului ??n ceea ce prive??te schimb??rile climatice, imigra??ia ??i c??l??toriile. Ea include, de asemenea, influen??a limbii ei materne, persana (farsi), ad??ug??nd o nou?? nuan???? limbii olandeze. Eu v??d literatura european?? drept un amestec ce implic?? probleme importante pe tot globul, dar ??n special cele cu specificit????i pentru Europa. Exist?? distinc??ii clare ??ntre literatura Statelor Unite care se dedic?? acelora??i subiecte. Prozele privind imigra??ia european??, de exemplu, vorbesc adesea despre mare, deoarece Marea Mediteran?? este un obstacol distinct pentru mul??i imigran??i, ??n timp ce majoritatea literaturii americane pe aceast?? tem?? se concentreaz?? pe de??ert. Astfel, Europa are specificit????ile ??i nuan??ele ei care includ ??i aspecte na??ionale/lingvistice/culturale, dar majoritatea lucr??rilor ??nc?? se conecteaz?? la continent ??i nu sunt neap??rat orientate doar c??tre lume.

??n ceea ce prive??te extinderea de acum ??nainte, observ multe tendin??e c??nd compar literatura american?? cu cea european??. Un lucru care ??mi lipse??te ??n SUA ar fi, totu??i, lucr??rile create exclusiv ??n scopul literaturii. Din nou, ??in s?? men??ionez c?? asta este doar p??rerea mea ??i nu ar trebui luat?? ??n considerare dincolo de propria experien????, dar cred c?? literatura Statelor Unite se dedic?? pu??in cam prea mult ??n ???fic??iunii autobiografice??? sau nara??iunii istorice, la persoana ??nt??i. Am descoperit c?? lucr??rile din Europa continu?? s?? fie mai degrab?? literare ??i poetice, f??c??nd loc interpret??rii ??i nuan????rii. De asemenea, autorii europeni mi se par mai ??ndr??zne??i, deoarece ??n SUA se iese mai greu din perspectiva conservatoare sau liberal??. De exemplu, o conversa??ie cu o uimitoare autoare din Letonia despre gen ne-a permis s?? explor??m extremele feminismului de ambele p??r??i, stabilind o punte ??ntre noi, o punte care nu este militant??, ci axat?? pe egalitate. Spre surprinderea ei, am men??ionat c?? aceast?? conversa??ie este dificil?? pentru multe persoane din SUA, deoarece evenimentele de acest tip devin tensionate, iar asta ??nseamn?? c?? majoritatea canalelor de mass-media ??i literatura le urmeaz?? exemplul. Repet, acest lucru poate fi cauzat de consumul meu de literatur?? american?? din lumea academic??, dar cu siguran???? g??sesc mai mult?? nuan????, varietate ??i calitate literar?? ??n operele europene dec??t ??n cele din Statele Unite.

Exist?? c??teva tendin??e pe care le-am descoperit recent ??i care mi-au captat interesul. Dup?? cum v?? ve??i da probabil seama din acest interviu, natura ??i mediul sunt foarte importante pentru mine. Literatura legat?? de mediu publicat?? ??n Europa este fenomenal?? ??? On ??tait des loups (We Were Wolves) de Sandrine Collette, opera lui Rezazadeh men??ionat?? mai sus, poeziile lui Kim Simonsen. Ceea ce ??mi place la toate aceste opere este c?? mesajul cu privire la mediu este acolo ??i reiese clar, dar aceast?? literatur?? nu transmite un mesaj sec, ci acesta este integrat perfect ??n nara??iune ??i este doar unul dintre multe alte mesaje. Dincolo de asta, iubesc un roman noir/de mister (deci preg??ti??i-v?? pentru un posibil num??r noir pe viitor!), iar genul respectiv ??n Europa are un loc foarte valoros la mine ??n bibliotec??, cucerindu-m?? cu opere precum The Red Handler de Johan Harstad, tradus din norvegian?? de c??tre David Smith, The Pendragon Legend de Antal Szerb, tradus de Len Rix, ??i Deathly Convalescence a lui Rui Cardoso Martins, tradus din portughez?? de Joe Williams.

Dear Clayton McKee, as a specialist in comparative literature, how do you see European literature today? Are there common trends, structures, obsessions between European and overseas literature? Which part of Europe is more familiar to you?

I???ll start with my ???geographic restrictions??? as I find it important to recognize my viewpoint before jumping into this question. I am much more familiar with Western Europe, particularly France and Spain (a bit less than France). I have lived in France for various years in different places, and I, for some reason, am extremely drawn to French literature, history, and culture. French is also the primary language of my household. In addition to studying Francophone literature, I studied Spanish for quite some time and focused on Castilian literature because of academic pressures to find a ???specialty.??? I do love Spanish literature, but I am much more drawn to Cuban literature; Spain won out because of this need to specialize. I am a very curious person, so I do find a lot of literature and cultures interesting, pushing me to research pretty much every piece/place that we publish in the journal???much of that remains surface-level due to time constraints. Some areas that I have done a bit more exploring in are Scandinavia???my obsession with horror, noir, and mythology led me to create and teach a course about the use of Nordic mythology in contemporary novels and films from the Scandinavian countries???and Ireland.

With that established, I???ll try to express my views on a very difficult question. Personally, I see European literature as more connected than before. Of course, I am aware of Goethe???s concept of world literature and the importance of translation across the continent to establish various national literary traditions. So, I surely do not wish to say that European literature was never connected before! I think that many European authors are now looking at issues that impact so many outside of an author???s national boundaries. Long gone are the days of critiquing colonial practices or establishing a national tradition. Neocolonialism and capitalism often extend beyond national boundaries, and more diverse voices allow for a wider range of narratives to be told. Authors are also not stationary, and they collaborate with authors and artists in various countries. We can add to that the number of authors who moved to Europe or move within Europe and begin producing literature in new languages. For example, I read a novel by Sholeh Rezazadeh for an interview this year. She was born in Iran but now lives in the Netherlands and writes in Dutch. Her work, particularly the novel I Know a Mountain that Is Waiting for Me, explores the connectivity of Holland and Iran in terms of climate change, immigration, and travel. She also includes the influence of her native language, Persian (Farsi), adding new influence to the Dutch language. I view European literature as just that, a mixture engaging with issues important all across the globe, but particularly ones with specificities to Europe. There are clear distinctions between United States literature engaging in the same topics. European immigration narratives, for example, often speak of the sea due to the Mediterranean being a large obstacle for many immigrants, whereas most U.S. literature on the topic focuses on the desert. So, that is to say, Europe has its specificities and nuances that also include national/linguistic/cultural specificities, but most works still connect to the continent and are not necessarily purely world-focused.

In terms of expanding this further, I do see many trends in topics when comparing U.S. literature to European literature. One thing that I find missing in the U.S., however, are works that are also there to be literature. Again, just to preface, this is my opinion and should not be taken outside of my own experience, but I find that literature from the U.S. engages a bit too much in ???autobiographical fiction??? or historical, first-person narrative for my liking. I found works from Europe to continue being rather literary and poetic, allowing interpretation and nuance to arise in the writing. European authors also seem more daring to me, as there is little room in the U.S. to go outside of a conservative or liberal lens. For example, a conversation with an amazing Latvian author about gender allowed us to explore the extremes of feminism on both sides, establishing a middle ground between us that was not militant yet focused on equality. To her surprise, I mentioned this conversation is a bit difficult for many in the U.S. as events get charged, meaning that most of the media and literature that we consume follow suit. Once again, this may be due to my consumption of U.S. literature stemming from the academic world, but I surely find more nuance, variety, and literary quality in what I read from Europe than what I read from the United States.

There are a few trends that I have loved recently as I have been reading. As you may gather throughout this interview, nature and the environment are very important to me. The literature related to the environment that is coming out of Europe is so phenomenal???Sandrine Collette???s On ??tait des loups (We Were Wolves), Rezazadeh???s work referenced above, Kim Simonsen???s poems. What I love about all of this is that the environmental message is there and clear, but it is not literature that is only making an environmental message???it is integrated seamlessly into the narrative and is only one of many messages. Beyond that, I love a noir/mystery novel (so get ready for a possible noir issue in the future!), and that genre in Europe has placed a few gems onto my bookshelf including The Red Handler by Johan Harstad, translated from Norwegian by David Smith, Antal Szerb???s The Pendragon Legend by Antal Szerb, translated by Len Rix, and Rui Cardoso Martins??? Deathly Convalescence, translated from Portuguese by Joe Williams.

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