Today we talk about They Took Everything Also Our Dignity, a book by Richard Schulte published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author Richard Schulte to get to know him better, if there was a particular moment that led him to the writing of his book They Took Everything Also Our Dignity, as well as how he chose the title of his book.
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 it?
It has not passed a single day when I have not thought about the Middle East in the early 1960-ties. There were no such thing as terrorism or Islamism at the time and the debate around the Palestinian conflict was not as chaotic as today. It was a decade of optimism for the future and I have only fond memories from living there. When I returned in the early 1980-ties things were different, but people’s friendliness and hospitality were still the same. I have always been sadened by the wars between Israel and its Arab neighbours and why they cannot live in peace. Palestine is a cradle of civilisation and I still dream of a scenario of friendship and torelance in the region. I decided to write a book on my thoughts on why, so far, it has not been achievable. A problem with the discussions on this conflict is that they always refer to the current situation. Although the solution is to be found in the future, the historical facts must be acknowledged to provide the necessary redemptions, albeit the history at the same time has to be accepted. This is what I wanted to say with my book.
- What would you like to hear from your readers?
When people found out I was writing on the book, they asked me whose side I am on, but I am not on anybody’s side. I am for peace, a peace that is equal and just to all parties. The objective is to provide a holistic view of the Palestinian conflict, how and why it started in the first place and how it has evolved over the years as perceived and experienced by people who have a more profound knowledge and understanding of the conflict. The ambition is to convey a message that can be understood from both a moral and psychological perspective as to why young men like Mohammed take such decisions as they do and that the readers, whatever their background or origin may be, shall be able to understand Mohammed’s decisions without prejudice as to whether he made the right decisions or not. I hope the readers will be encouraged to find out more about the underlying facts to the conflict and when they start realising what the true story really is, both morally and factually, they will align their support with the demand for a two-state solution.
- Is there a book you are particularly attached to and that has taught you something?
The first book that really made me reflect on the values of life was the book ‘Siddhartha’ by Herman Hesse, which I read when I was still a young man. It is not a book of many pages, but if around eighty percent of the book deals with Siddhartha’s superficial life and twenty percent with his spiritual life, my impression after reading the book was the opposite. It made me reflect on the values of life and how important it is to occasionally switch off the urban noise and today’s social media and think, meditate, and reflect on what the true values are in one’s life.
- How did you choose the title of your book?
There may have been hardships on both sides of this conflict, but it is the Palestinians who are suffering. The people of Israel live in a prosperous and developed country, while the Palestinians have nothing. They are a nation of people who have been robbed of their dignity and their inheritance, ignored, and neglected by the international community. They have all been branded as terrorists without anybody trying to put themselves in their place, or even listening to their story. The hard-core terrorists and extremists do not represent the normal, average Palestinian. The title of the book is based on that assumption.
- Are you working on a new writing project you can tell us about?
I am writing on a few other projects, and I hope to publish a novel in Swedish coming spring, but my next project after that, which is already in the pipeline, is another novel on the topic of global injustices. As writing is one among my other hobbies, and not something I focus on daily, it is difficult to predict exactly when my books will be ready for publishing. However, with the publishing of my book – They took everything, also our dignity – I feel more inspired to spend more time on my writing.
Europe Books thanks the author Richard Schulte once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside him on the editorial path that led to the publication of his book They Took Everything Also Our Dignity. We wish him the best of luck for his book and for his future works.
To you, my dear reader, may this book allow you to have a holistic view of the Palestinian conflict, and that you can understand it from both a moral and psychological perspective.
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy your reading!
Your editor!