A Conversation with Milton Hatoum

Acclaimed author Milton Hatoum is originally from a part of the world that has become the center of debates concerning our planetary survival: the Amazon. In this interview—the first extensive interview published in English—he describes how he transforms his experiences of living, traveling, and reading into the written word, and presents a beautiful and specific definition of the reader as a “stationary traveler.” Based on questions sent in by e-mail by scholars from all over Brazil and other parts of the world, Hatoum speaks about several of his novels and describes the differences between documentary-based and experimental literary production. He also talks about some of his favorite authors in contemporary fiction, the theme of Latin American patriarchalism as portrayed through some of his characters, and the presence and importance of artists in his books. He recommends some books from the Amazon, and points out the “numbered days” of the Amazon rainforest and the terrible social neglect in the city of Manaus.The interview was organized by Marília Librandi-Rocha (Stanford University) and Lucia Ricotta (Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia), and questions were posed by Stefania Chiarelli (Universidade Federal Fluminense), Luiz Costa Lima (PUC-Rio), John Gledson (University of Liverpool), Marília Librandi-Rocha (Stanford University), Mirella Marcia Longo (Universidade Federal da Bahia), and Susana Scramin (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina).