BookLife Talks with Yslar Tatuky
A sponsored Q&A with the author of 'My Neighbour Osama bin Laden'
What’s the story behind this book—why and how did you write it?
Everyone, including myself, had been waiting for the arrival of the 21st century with high hopes. Sadly, however, our hopes were crushed as it unfolded. Cruelty, religious conflicts, political extremism, and, especially, antisemitism invaded the new millennium with great force, flooding even those countries that seemed to have well-established humane and democratic values. And the outrageous terrorist act of 9/11—an unspeakable horror viewed live by millions of people! What can we, ordinary people, do in the face of these atrocities? What is left for those who believe in humanism and universal values? It was my attempt to answer these questions that inspired this book.
I firmly believe that antisemitism is the biggest evil of the contemporary world. When we are talking about Osama bin Laden, we should remain aware of the fact that ideological antisemitism was the key driver of his crimes, his cruelty, and the 9/11 attack. Antisemitism, the Holocaust, and their dire consequences have been subject to many fictional and documentary works, and I am proud to have made my own humble contribution, with a number of unique and emotional episodes in my book. These scenes will cast the problems of antisemitism in a new light while demonstrating the greatness of the Jewish people and the unspeakable tragedies they have been through. There are many who doubt the murder of Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011. This theory has a right to exist, because the world has no more valuable an informer than bin Laden. The book focuses on this alternative story line, imagining the life of bin Laden following his alleged liquidation.
To what extent did you draw from real life for the book?
Reality and imagination are so intertwined during the writing process that it is sometimes difficult to tell them apart. A number of characters are inspired by my close friends and relatives, and scalding tears blinded my eyes as I was working on several episodes. The rest—the towns, the scenery—are as true to life as they can be.How is My Neighbour Osama bin Laden different from your most recent book, The Man Who Never Contemplated Suicide?
The new novel tells the story of a town and a man on a single day; both experience a tragic decline and catastrophe. The town falls, but the man lives. The two novels share a setting—the small town of Okriba, Georgia. I have always believed that empathy is the vivid demonstration of the most humane, benevolent feelings. Having empathy for others is a true human trait. Thus, empathy and genuine emotions are what these two vastly different novels have in common.
What is the one thing you most want to tell readers about your book?
The town in which the action takes place is blessed with incredibly beautiful scenery and breathtaking views. It is this magical town that witnesses the most curious meeting between the great novelist Salman Rushdie and bin Laden, the world’s most formidable terrorist, as these two sit by the same dining table. The novel is multilayered, with historical deviations, cliff-hangers, and an action-laden plot. The book contains unique story lines, which will inspire special emotions in readers. The book also includes a heartbreakingly beautiful scene in Auschwitz-Birkenau, which is the most emotional and original part of the book for me!
What’s next for you?
My new book, The Man Who Never Contemplated Suicide, will be published soon, and I am working on a fantasy book for teenagers.
