1. What drew you to writing about Classical Antiquity?

In the beginning, I wasn’t planning to write a piece with such a reference. Initially, I mostly created the main characters, then – the minor ones and the events. In the course of this process, new ideas were coming up. When it comes to Mr. Otter, an allusion to Charon seemed to me to be both an obvious and funny one, and that’s why it appeared in the book.

2. Why did you choose Charon to be referred to in your work?

I chose to reference him because it “matched” the scene. From the one hand, I was looking for a figure of a carrier – and I found one. From the other hand, Charon is one of the mythological characters that impressed me the most when I was reading myths as a child. His secrecy and strangeness, the darkness surrounding him and the fact that he was believed to cross the borders between the two worlds – all of this was fascinating. In my book, the Old Carrier initially seems to be a mysterious and sinister person – but soon he reveals his “human” face. In this way, a kind of a “disenchantment” of the figure takes place – and this issue has always been interesting to me, especially in the context of the taboo of death.

3. Was this allusion intended to be understood by the adult readers? Or by the children too?

I usually write my works having both of them in my mind. I think that good children’s literature should work on many levels and appeal to the other members of the young reader’s family too. In a particular tale, different persons can find different things – according to their age, the stage of their development, their knowledge of literature and ability to notice references to other works. Charon is generally a wink to adults, but children also read myths, as well as fairy tales.

4. In the book, Mr. Otter uses the words alluding to Dante’s Divine Comedy. Were you thinking only about this work when creating the character? Were there any other sources used in this process?

I had the Divine Comedy in my mind – the character and the scene we are talking about were supposed to be a humorous reference to Dante’s work. However, I didn’t want to delve deeper into this issue in order to make things more elaborate. I think that the wisdom and various references should be somehow veiled in a fable rather than smacked in the reader’s face. If someone notices a reference – that’s great, if not – that’s not a problem. This way, we can avoid didacticism, which I don’t like very much.

5. Speaking about didacticism, I would like to ask you a different question. In your book, there are many elements which are typical for the Aesopian tradition of fable. Did you have Aesop’s fables in mind when creating your own story?

Not exactly; I was not thinking about these fables specifically. However, I was raised on such stories, so they somehow run in my blood – and what is “hidden” in us sometimes wants to go to the surface. The Aesopian formula of fable seems to me to be very natural – writing about humans “disguised” as animals is pleasant and safe at the same time. People know that the story is about them, but they don’t feel offended. What is more, animal characters stun the imagination – and the act of de-stereotyping their images is great fun, so I do it quite often by creating a Fox who is drippy, and an Owl who isn’t smart at all, and many others.

6. Do you think that classical and ancient myths, history, and literature continue to resonate with young audiences? If yes, why?

Yes, of course. Myths, similarly to fairy tales, will never get old. As they are timeless and carry universal values and wisdom, they will always appeal to the readers, no matter their age and the time period. Moreover, I think that referencing them in contemporary literature is a great idea. Maybe some of the recipients of my book would like to know more about its classical roots and read myths?

7. And what about you? Are there any books that made an impact on you in the field of myths?  

When I was a child, I loved reading Jan Parandowski’s Mythology so, as I stated before, the association of Mr. Otter with Charon was totally an obvious one.

8. You are a critically acclaimed author of children’s and young adults’ plays, as well as a director and a dramaturg. Do you plan to utilize classical motifs in your next written works and theatrical performances?

Yes, for sure! I don’t think about anything particular now, but the antiquity is very close to me. My sister is an archeologist by education, while I graduated in philosophy. I’m keen on ancient philosophy in particular – in my opinion, the antiquity was the most interesting period I studied, because it’s the most fabulous, remarkable, and beautiful.

Prepared by Maciej Skowera, University of Warsaw, mgskowera@gmail.com