Beyond the Mother Tongue: Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry in Conversation with Artemii Levkoy on Exophony
(RU/ENG subs)
0:00 — Let’s go!
2:17 — Introducing Kristina and exophony
6:47 — “Are you a Russian author?“ — “I’m American“
9:26 — “What connects an author to a literary tradition?“ — “Humanity“
11:28 — Are non-native authors treated with purism or tolerance in the English-speaking world?
15:36 — “Does writing in a New English make one more original and attractive in the readers’ eyes?“
17:39 — Nabokov and losing one’s mother tongue
21:17 — “Should exophonic writers strive to emulate natives or is the New English literature becoming the new norm?“
24:36 — “I am writing by my inner ear“
28:33 — Do exophonic writers from non-postcolonial countries also belong to the New English literature?
30:44 — Is it fair to speak of New Russian literatures in post-Soviet countries: Kurkov, Kabanov, Alexievich?
36:40 — “Are you kidding? My mother is always critical!“
44:40 — Between Dog and Wolf: a synopsis and various editions of the book
51:51 — “Where I came from, we talked about literature, sex, and politics“
57:58 — “I write because I would die of silence otherwise... I try to reconcile the ugliness and the beauty my motherland has brought into the world“
1:00:10 — Characters in the novel and their prototypes
1:04:52 — “Why do so many Russians have a hard time overcoming their nostalgia for the Soviet past?“ — “The past they can understand, the present — not so much“.
1:13:21 — Russian leaders need to learn the Rogerian argument: in a debate, you have to find valid points in your opponent’s position and build your own argument based on it.
1:14:36 — Q&A “How did you start writing in English?“
1:19:18 — Q&A “Do you attach a language to a person?“
1:22:12 — Q&A “Do you think of a story in English or Russian?“
1:24:54 — Q&A “Do you have a sense of grief over not writing in Russian?“
1:27:16 — Excerpt from Between Dog and Wolf
1:33:40 — Epilogue: Softest of Tongues by Vladimir Nabokov
Creative writing in foreign languages, also known as exophony or translingualism, has been practised since time immemorial. However, in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, it multiplied and intensified as a consequence of patterns of migration, changing demographics and the rise of English as a global language. What challenges do writers and poets face when working in a foreign tongue? Does the language of writing shape an author’s artistic identity or connect them to a specific literary tradition? With English as a well-established lingua franca, should authors strive to emulate native speakers, or is the “New“ English literature becoming the new normal? Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry, a rising star in the American literary scene, will address these and other questions in a conversation with our Culture Officer Artemii Levkoy.
Kristina was born in Armenia and raised in Soviet Russia. She moved to the USA in 1995, after having witnessed perestroika and the fall of the Iron Curtain, and became an established author overseas. Her first novel ‘Between Dog and Wolf’, published to rapturous reviews in the USA as The Orchard, captures the lives of four Soviet teenagers who are about to lose their country and one another and who struggle to survive, save their friendship, recover all that has been left behind.
The interview took place on 18 November 2023 at Worcester College, University of Oxford.
A signed copy of the book can be purchased directly from the publisher here:
To find out more about Kristina, you can visit her personal website:
ONRS extends its gratitude to The London Group of Multilingual Writers () and The Indigo Press () for their help in organising this event. The interview was filmed by
23 views
2497
804
3 weeks ago 00:14:09 1
Exploring the World’s Ancient Mummies Uncovered
3 weeks ago 00:00:00 1
Receive Healing From Jesus and the Holy Spirit - Heals All Body Pain & Emotions, Clears Your Mind
3 weeks ago 00:03:47 1
Tina Turner - What’s Love Got To Do With It (Official Music Video)
3 weeks ago 00:00:00 1
Eerie Night Inside Haunted Woman’s Club Where The Spirits From The Past Still Linger
3 weeks ago 00:02:40 1
Russian Slavic poetry in English. Recitation of The Bitch by Sergei Yesenin
3 weeks ago 00:04:17 1
The Weeknd - Dancing In The Flames (Official Music Video)
4 weeks ago 00:06:42 1
ТЫКВЕННЫЙ СУП ПЮРЕ | самый вкусный рецепт! 🧡 суп из тыквы + веганский вариант | Pumpkin Soup
4 weeks ago 00:11:06 2
Jim Caviezel on Darkness, the Devil, Heath Ledger, and Sacrifice
4 weeks ago 00:00:00 41
Mega Сборка Final FULL № 3 Euro Truck Simulator 2 v ( СУПЕР СБОРКА ) Исправление FIX
4 weeks ago 00:01:00 1
Making a Movie on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | Knightmare City Sequel | Mcpro24fps | Beastgrip DOF
4 weeks ago 00:59:07 1
Boris Brejcha - Christmas Mix 2024
4 weeks ago 00:08:18 1
CoinTech2U vs Bitget : Which Platform Is Better for Your Trading Journey?
1 month ago 01:00:00 2
Argent Tournament - Music & Ambience - World of Warcraft
1 month ago 01:04:53 1
Regis Tremblay: Exposing the Truth Behind U.S. Foreign Policy
1 month ago 00:30:17 1
Alex Collier Answers the Most Popular ET Questions! A.I., Ascension, Souls & More!
1 month ago 00:41:47 2
Phantasia - Future Angels (1981)
1 month ago 01:44:19 1
ANJUNABEATS | THE YEAR MIX 2024 | PART 1 OF 2 (new progressive and vocal trance)
1 month ago 00:03:15 1
#ChristmasVibes🎄🎅 A Modern Christmas Song | Planet Pop | Educational Videos For Kids #englishforkids
1 month ago 00:12:35 1
How Trump’s Team Uses Quantum Computers - Alex Collier Explains!
1 month ago 00:03:49 1
The Chronicles of Narnia - Edmund Meets The White Witch (HD)
1 month ago 00:44:31 1
class 3 interproximal contacts, composite Restoration
1 month ago 00:36:48 1
Declaring Christ As Lord & Savior (The True Meaning Unveiled)