1. Why do you think classical / ancient myths, history, and literature continue to resonate with young audiences?

 I believe there is a substantial area of topics that kids living two thousand years ago might share with their peers of the 21st century. The world of heroes, twists of fortune, supernatural elements is something that would equally fascinate both audiences so distant historically. Another thing kids of today and their ancient predecessors would have in common is that they would rather associate themselves with Hercules than Icarus. Which leads us to an observation that young Nero or Seneca might find it relatively easy to accept the world of Superman as his own.

2.  Do you have a background in classical education (Latin or Greek at school or classes at the University?) What sources are you using? Scholarly work? Wikipedia? Are there any books that made an impact on you in this respect?

As a senior high school student I was expected to memorize Latin words and grammar as part of my Latin language education. “Memorizing” came easier than “understanding,” but some Latin legacy did stay with me till this day. And so did my fascination for the ancient world. For reference, I mostly use my collection of books which includes both academic texts and works of classical authors as well as popular fiction.

3. Did you think about how Classical Antiquity would translate for young readers, esp. in Poland?

GG: Frankly, I don’t have an immediate answer. One way of trying to make young readers take interest in ancient topics would be to tie them to popular literature and movies. As for my personal experience, the trick that works in most cases is to put teenagers of today in the shoes of their ancient peers. There is no better way to get acquainted with the daily realities of life centuries ago than through walking the narrow alleys of Rome and buying a lunch from a street vendor. Well, young man, don’t expect the menu will include hamburgers and French fries.

4. Why is the protagonist of your novel  named “Grakch”? Is it an allusion to the Gracchi brothers, Tiberius and Gaius?

Actually, Grakch is a modified version of the name of the protagonist of Franz Kafka’s story The Hunter Gracchus. I am a big fan of Kafka and I love to smuggle elements of his fiction into my novels for adults and young readers alike. But I borrowed the name from Kafka not just to hint my admiration to Franz. When you think about it, there is some remarkable resemblance between Gracchus the Hunter, who, dead to the mortals, drifts in a boat down the river between the world of the dead and the world of the living, and Grakch the Boy, who crosses the river that separates the afterlife world of animals from the land of humans.*

5. The rats in your novel are named “Romulus” and “Remus.” Why did you decide to reverse the situation known from the myth of the founding of Rome, in which Romulus and Remus were human children raised by an unnamed she-wolf?

Reversing myths is something most authors really like. You take a myth like a fabric and cut it to finally tailor the pieces to the needs of the narrative. One important consideration is to surprise the readers and make them really focused – not an easy challenge in the social-media era when according to experts young recipients of content can digest only small portions of information. Now, confronting the readers as early as on the opening page with Romulus and Remus the Rats might bring an element of surprise that prompts them to go to the next page. Besides, the readers feel invited to an open-end game in which the Rats are tasked with raising the human baby. Sounds familiar but different at the same time?

6. Not only the rats, but also all the other animals living in the Town can choose new names after they die. As the idea of naming is supposed to be a human one, does it make them still dependent on the mankind? Or maybe you see it, conversely, as a sign of the animals’ independence and freedom?

In the haven they go after death (which is the last stop before they proceed to their version of Paradise), the animals are free to take their own decisions for the first time ever. In their earthly life, they were given names, if at all, by people. Now, as an expression of free will, they can assume a name they want. This is an act of regaining self-respect and freedom they were deprived of in their previous existence.

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

*Note that Franz Kafka’s work mentioned by Grzegorz Gortat is sometimes discussed in the context of the brothers Gracchi. See, for example, Peter Fenves, “‘Workforce without Possessions’: Kafka, ‘Social Justice,’ and the Word Religion, in Freedom and Confinement in Modernity: Kafka’s Cages, A. Kiarina Kordela, Dimitris Vardoulakis, eds. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011, 107–126.