Interviews with writers

Interviewing Svetlana Alexievich in Tallinn, at the Estonian Writer's Union, 7.02.2020. Foto: Kris Moor

Over the years I have had the chance to interview some prominent German, German-speaking and Estonian authors. In February 2020 Svetlana Alexievich was vising Tallinn, since her book "Second-hand Time" was put on stage by Vaba Lava in Tallinn, Estonia. I had the possibility to interview her at the Estonian Writer's Union hall.  (Published interview in Russian and Estonian)


Published interviews
(mostly in German and Estonian, but some also in English and in Russian):

German author Klaus Modick
"'Ich ist ein anderer.' Widersprüche recherschieren" (Postimees, 1.05.2025)

Austrian writer Karin Peschka,  Estonian National Library, 25.04.2024.
In German: "Sehen und hören, Geschichten zutragen"
In Estonian:  "Karin Peschka tõlgib pilte kõnekeelde" (Postimees, 6.07.2024)

German author Jenny Erpenbeck, Estonian National Library, 10.05.2023
In German: "Was wäre wenn..." (19.08.2023)
In Estonian: Inimese mõistmiseks tuleb tema elu vaadelda moraalsete hinnanguteta(Postimees, 9.06.2023)

Belarussian author Svetlana Alexievich, Estonian Writers Union 7.02.2020
In Russian and Estonian

German author Ralf Rothmann, in Tallinn at the Museum of Occupations, 9.05.2019 "Backwards love"

In German: "Eine nachgetragene Liebe: Ralf Rothmann im Gespräch" (9.05/7.06.2019)
In Estonian (1): "Tagantjärele armastus" , Postimees, 30.08.2019
In Estonian (2): "Kirjutamine on erootiline tegevusala" , Sirp 3.05.2019


Interview with Kafka biographer Rainer Stach at the Estonian Writer's Union on the 17 April 2018.

"Writing on a Kafka biography taught me humbleness"
Published in Estonian translation: "Kafka biograafia kirjutamine õpetas alandlikkust", (Postimees, 2018)

German authors Kai Grehn, Berit Glanz, Slata Roschal,
all three laureatees of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Literature Prize
"Everything defines itself through remembering"
In German: „Letztendlich definiert sich alles über Erinnerung“. Orte der Imagination und der Realität (27.03/1.04.2019)



Estonian author Viivi Luik
Interview at the Tallinn City Library on 12 April 2018: 
"Being one with the world, i.e. why leave home?", published in English at the Estonian Literary Magazine 2/2018

Interviews in German:
(1) Tallinn 12.04.2018: "Teilhaben an der Welt" (2018)
(2) Berlin 8.10.2018:  "Schriftsteller sind Brückenbauer und Menschenseelen-Übersetzer"
(3) Leipzig, 22.03.2019: "Das alte gestrige Europa ist nicht mehr selbstverständlich

Video-Introduction to Viivi Luik's oevre:

Estonian writer and filmmaker Ilmar Taska 
Video of our conversation at the Museum of Occupations on 18 of October (in Estonian) (2018)

Interview with German author Wolf Biermann in May 2012
Published in German: "Mit der Hilfe der Musen habe ich mehr getan als ich konnte" (2012) and Estonian.


Interviews with Swiss writer Peter Stamm in 2004, conducted jointly with Eve Pormeister
Published in Estonian: "Kirjandus - tunnetuslik avatus ajale", Postimees, 29.10.2004
In Estonian: "Peter Stammi jaoks on naine kui hajus maastik", Pärnu Postimees, 3.11.2004