Interview with the author of the book Prometheus Christos Gaydatzis
How did your writing career begin? Is there a particular experience or inspiration that led you to become a writer?
Writing was not a childhood dream of mine. I started by directing one-act plays for celebrations at my school but since there were no or I didn't know texts that talked about such subjects, I wrote them myself. Later, knowing the texts of great authors: Ibsen, Shakespeare, Dimitriadis, etc., the weight shifted towards writing.
How do you formulate your ideas for a new project? What are your sources of inspiration?
I'm not sure how a project takes shape in my mind. A source of inspiration is always reality – something that happens or I think is happening. It gets confusing when we consider that I create my reality. I certainly try that these texts do not have the character of an opportunistic reaction, that is to say my opinion, but to describe a situation.
Do you have a specific time frame or routine that you follow? Can you tell us about your writing process?
I consider the time frame necessary – one deadline that is. The frequency of writing depends on when I have work (a project on my mind or a project order) but because I usually have, a routine is created.
The writing process follows an instinctive and relatively short course without lots and lots of notes and outlines. I don't know what this has to do with it, most writers who write like this are too old or have too much friction with the subject. Let's say, my last (joke) project was written in a weekend and the corrections took only three weeks.
What prompted you to write about Prometheus? Is ancient history and mythology an area of general interest to you?
Prometheus remains extremely relevant. Given that the ancient texts have not exhausted the myths or at least cannot speak directly for today I thought of this rewriting of Prometheus. Apart from that, I find ancient history and myths extremely interesting in general – not just in theatre.
How do you see the role of your writing in society? Do you have a specific message you want to convey through your works?
It will sound controversial but I consider writing the most important thing there is, I mean the Oresteia created the courts. Writing always comes first and there are things yet to be discovered about the human psyche that great writers have already described.
For the second part of the question, I don't want to convey a message but describe something.
Would you like to write about the theater?
I don't know what form I will end up in as a writer or if I ever will. What is certain is that the form of the theater is currently the most dear to me.
How do you deal with criticism and public response to your works?
Of course I'm interested in being read by as many people as possible, but that doesn't mean I'm trying to write something that "will be liked".
Is there anything new on the horizon in terms of writing?
I am currently finishing a new play based on an unknown Hugo novel.