The 40 But 10 Interview series: Zary Fekete

 

I had decided to retire the literary Would You Rather series, but didn't want to stop interviews on the site all together. Instead, I've pulled together 40ish questions - some bookish, some silly - and have asked authors to limit themselves to answering only 10 of them. That way, it keeps the interviews fresh and connectable for all of us!

Today we are joined by Zary Fekete. Zary…has worked as a teacher in Hungary, Moldova, Romania, China, and Cambodia…lives and works as a writer in Minnesota…has been featured in variations publications including Zoetic Press, Bag of Bones Press, and Mangoprism…has a debut chapbook of short stories coming in February 2023 from Alien Buddha Press…enjoys books, podcasts, and long, slow films. Twitter: @ZaryFekete

Why do you write?

I started seriously writing in 2020 as part of therapy for alcohol addiction. Alcohol had been a very life-consuming thing for me…and I wanted to find something which could replace it. Writing ended up not just replacing alcohol but ultimately being something very therapeutic for me.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I like reading, watching films, jogging, and listening to good podcasts. I think I have close to 100 podcasts I subscribe to on my phone. I don’t have nearly enough time to listen to them all, but I like knowing that they are on there.

Do you have any hidden talents?

I can speak fluent Hungarian. My parents moved to Hungary in the late 70’s to do missions work. I went to Hungarian school for 6 years. Most of my best friends from my teenage years were all Hungarian. It is a marvelously beautiful and difficult language.

Describe your book poorly.

There is quite a bit of literature written for people who are in some part of the self-help, AA, addiction recovery process. I took sentences from some of that literature and allowed the sentences to be inspiration for a series of short stories. The short stories in my book are part of that writing process.

If you could spend the day with another author, who would you choose and why?

This one would be a tie between William Shakespeare and the author of the first five books of the Bible. In both cases there is some ambiguity as to who the authors were.

I won’t rehash the many wild theories involving Shakespeare…but it is likely that there was       some collaboration going on between him and other members of his theatrical troupe (which would have been common practice during that time period)…so it would be interesting to know who wrote some of the famous Shakespearean lines.

There are also some question marks surrounding the first five books of the Bible. Tradition states that Moses wrote them…and he may have. But even then, it would be interesting to ask him where he was when he wrote them and what led to their inspiration.

What is your favorite book from childhood?

I really liked to read Archie comic books. I had so many of them! My favorite proper books were probably the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House series.

What are you currently reading?

I usually have a couple books I am reading. One for the day time and one on my bedtime table for reading just before bed. My day time book is Peter Akroyd’s biography of Charles Dickens. Very thick. The nighttime read is the selected short stories of Patricia Highsmith. I read her collected notebook and diary entries last year and found them fascinating.

What genres won’t you read?

I have never read a romance novel, but I don’t think I would ever definitely say that I WON’T read one. I have never had someone recommend on to me. If someone did recommend one, I would be glad to read it.

 

What’s the single best line you’ve ever read?

There are many, but perhaps one of the best is the first line of the Gospel of John, “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.” I like it because it touches on faith and also on the power of the word.

Which literary invention do you wish was real and why?

I wish I could speak every language on earth. If there was an invention that allowed me to do that, I would be very excited!

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I wrote these 10 stories during the years immediately following my recovery from alcohol abuse. Not every story touches on the topic directly, but there is a thread of struggle woven throughout each piece. They are a short journey through life, faith, and healing.