Today we talk about THE HEART IS THE LIAR, a book by YIWKEI published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author, YIWKEI, to get to know her better, the moment that brought her to the writing of her book THE HEART IS THE LIAR, as well the first book the author read and what it taught her.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- Is there a particular moment in your life that led you to the writing of your book? What was that?
Definitely. Most of my poems were written amidst my deepest and most miserable encounters with depression, more precisely the second quarter of 2022. The collection of single sheets of poetry started to pile up and, although I had no confidence in myself nor my writing whatsoever, I wanted to give it a shot. Some friends helped me as well: I’ll never forget how kind and useful their words were in the process of writing. Even though I felt like a rotting corpse, having them react so deeply to my own feelings put on paper brought out a sense of pride for myself. That blooming feeling was the last push I needed to set my goal as the book itself.
- What characteristics should your audience have to appreciate your collection of poems?
I like to believe anyone can appreciate poetry if introduced to it from the right angle. In particular, my collection requires a decent amount of melancholy and love (or lack thereof). Of course, not every reader will be able to comprehend me. Personally, that’s exciting. We all have different personalities, mindsets, memories and private factors that lead to different interpretations of the same texts.
- Could you briefly tell us what the turbulence of Love represents?
The “Turbulence of Love” represents the way life makes us feel. It can be subtle, but that’s no fun. I believe one must experience earth-shattering situations in order to truly profit from human existence. Because the universe is complex and it presents us love in all of its glory: pure, gentle, lustful, greedy, all-destroying, all-conquering, intensively, slowly. No love is the same. That alone is able to shake the structure of many lives. I hate instability, so being fed litres of an emotion in a short notice is terrifying and the cause of a lifelong turbulence. The many ways that a seemingly small word can take one up to the highest, most gleeful point, and then push them off in a millisecond have always intrigued me, especially after experiencing it. Love is my most turbulent emotion, and my most precious one, too.
- What is the first book that you read and what did it teach you?
The first book I remember reading, besides, of course, little children’s books and fables, was The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. So short yet so meaningful, it built a nest in between my brain cells ever since I first read it. From the iconic snake drawings, to the sudden heartbreaking ending, it was filled with gut-wrenching emotions. Some I couldn’t even understand, because, how would you explain grief to a child? That book was the blueprint for my interest in literature. It taught me to understand people beyond what is shown, to enjoy the present, to love unconditionally. It made me want to read more, to feel all of that again. It made me want to write, in order to make others feel the same way, even if I were a child in a world made for everyone but me. In the same way I have tattoos of other books, the beauty of The Little Prince was engraved within me, it made me able to write beautiful things too.
- Are you planning to write more books? Can you tell us more about it?
I’m unsure of my answer to that question myself. This whole experience is new to me. Even in this short period of time my priorities, view of life and decisions have taken some abrupt turns. Of course, because this is one of my biggest passions, I do sit down and pour out my thoughts on paper from time to time, although not at the same frequency. If I were to publish something else, I fear the audience would have to intersect a bit, my poems aren’t as gruesome and sad as they once were. Almost as if I am backstage now. You could say love has settled for a bit. All there is left to do is to wait for a gust of wind to stir my life up again, something to break me so I get to put myself back together. Nothing is truly permanent in life nor are things definite. Thankfully, I’m a very patient person.
Europe Books thanks the author, YIWKEI, once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside her on the editorial path that led to the publication of her book THE HEART IS THE LIAR. We wish her the best of luck for her future works.
To you, my readers, I really wish you appreciate this collection of poems and you let yourself be carried away by the emotions that this will arouse in you whether you are in love or not.
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy your reading!
Your editor!