-Hello Holly! Would you like to tell us something about you?
Hello! I am really happy to have the opportunity to chat about my latest work.
I am afraid that I am a very private person. I am happy to talk about my books and other publications, but I do not like talking about me.
Holly Pinker is my pen name. My real name and my identity is completely irrelevant. I believe that, once created, my work should be interpreted by the readers independently of who I am.
-Your latest book is called "6 Days • 3 Lives • 1 Being" and it will be published by Agent P Ltd. on the 1st of April, 2023. What shall we expect to find in the book?
I am really excited about this book! It is a very short novella, or it could be classified as a collection of short-stories. In the book I play with the concept of a 4-dimentional being and fantasise about the role that humans would play in a 4-dimentional world.
The book is pure fiction, but it lends itself very nicely to explore the meaning of our
dreams, our subconscious minds and the connection between humans in general.
At the same time, I use this framework to dive into the role of religion, how it has evolved through history and a potential scenario about how it may look like in the future.
I also touch on politics and previous and current war affairs.
So, although the book is not very long, I hope that every reader will find, at least, one interesting idea to ponder on!
-In the book you explain some mathematical concepts. There is a whole section dedicated to lines, planes, solid figures, dimensions... how important are these concepts to the story-line?
You are right, the first part of the book is fully dedicated to abstract thinking, mathematically speaking. But it is not integral to the story-line, this is why I purposely labelled this "chapter" as "foreword".
The foreword section lays the ground, putting some initial thoughts into the reader's mind and provoking the reader to look for a deeper meaning when reading the rest of the book. But if you want to skip the foreword you can still enjoy the rest of the book! You may not be able to connect the dots that I left hidden in each of the stories, but nevertheless you will be able to read and enjoy a collection of short stories.
-Dreams are a recurring topic in the book, are they an integral part of the story?
Yes, yes and yes! I invite readers to read the book twice (it is not very long so it is not a big ask) and to look for clues in each of the dreams. The dreams are the common thread interweaving the stories.
-What about the last short story, what is the connection with the rest of the book?
In all fairness there is no connection between them. The last story is a “bonus” story.
I think that it sits well within the book because it also reflects on the concept of time. It would not be far-fetched to say that our pasts shape our futures; but in this short story we also dare the reader to consider how the recollection of our pasts is malleable, giving us the power to control our future by choosing which parts of the past we take on.
-Are you currently working on any new tittles?
Yes! I have already signed up with Agent P Ltd. for the release of a new book.
The new book is based in Eastern Europe, in Hungary to be more precise. However, my intention is to be able to reflect the overall sentiment in Europe (or more generally in the Western world).
The book will touch on topics like national identity, globalisation, generation gap and of course populist politics.
It is not uncommon to have a member of your close family who has fallen under the effects of populist slogans. In my new book I explore the reasons why populism is so powerful and I try to create a dialogue between people who sit at both ends of the spectrum. Our ability to dialogue relies on our ability to respect speakers of different views. I am trying to explore a political movement that I do not support from a position of respect.