vozom, pošto sam proveo nekoliko meseci lutajući Evropom. Svi su mi rekli da se prošetam ulicama čim stignem i da će mi vrlo brzo neko s prozora ponuditi smeštaj. Upravo se to i dogodilo. Divna stara beograd- ska dama iznajmila mi je sobu za to veče, ujutru je do- šao njen sin, popili smo čašicu strahovito jakog alko- hola pre doručka. Nemam ideju šta je to bilo. Pamtim Beograd kao izuzetno prijateljski grad u kojem su svi delovali srećno što me vide, iako sam bio dvadeseto- godišnjak bez dinara u džepu. Volite li da putujete? – Da, mada što sam stariji, to sam i probirljiviji. Uglavnom mi prija da idem na mesta na kojima sam već bio, valjda. Potičem iz siromašne porodice, nika- da nismo išli u inostranstvo, osim u Norvešku, gde je jedan od mamine šestorice braće otišao posle rata. Svake dve godine obilazili smo ujaka i njegovu nor- vešku porodicu, ali nikad nismo leteli, već smo hva- tali brod do Osla ili smo se vozili kroz Dansku. Kada sam postao novinar, bilo mi je zanimljivo da letim avi- onom. Ali u poslednje vreme sam toliko putovao da me to čini nesrećnim. Moja žena je Japanka, tamo od- lazimo dva puta godišnje, a imam i bliskog prijatelja u Hongkongu, pa i tamo idem jednom, dva puta godiš- nje. Obožavam dvanaestočasovne letove zato što je to prilika da se diskonektujem od sveta. Mislim da je to zdravo za pisca. Primećujete li neku sličnost između Britanaca i Srba? Londona i Beograda? – Mislim da je London drugačiji od svih mesta na svetu i zato svi dolaze u London. Ovo ne važi ni za je- dan drugi grad, čak ni za Njujork ili Tokio. Zajedničko za Srbe i Britance jeste to što ih nije lako upoznati, ali kad jednom postanete prijatelji i kad vas zavole, onda imate prijatelja za ceo život, pravog prijatelja. Ovo je ludo vreme, očajnički jurimo za srećom, a nikad nije bilo više nesrećnih. Šta mislite da je najveća greška savremenog čoveka? – Što sam stariji, sve više verujem u to da čovek pravi mir i utehu može da pronađe u prirodi. Ništa mi ne pri- ja kao duga šetnja po šumi sa psom. Kad sam bio mlađi, stalno sam mislio o devojkama, a sad mislim o drveću. – Ljudi misle da zaslužuju više od jedne šanse da uživaju u pravoj ljubavi. I ja mislim da je to istina. Čo- vek zaista može da dobije više. Greška je to što se lju- di zanesu, pa misle da će dobiti neograničeni broj šansi. Ali ne, ponestaje nam vremena. I sami ste imali mnogo uspona i padova. Šta vas je guralo da idete dalje? – Raditi posao koji voliš je uživanje i blagoslov. I pisanje, definitivno pisanje romana, jeste jedan vid terapije koji mi pomaže da nađem smisao. Svi imaju dobre i loše faze u životu. Mislim da sam srećniji od većine. Znam da bih se sklupčao i umro kad ne bih pi- sao, upravo me to i tera da ne prestanem. Šta mislite, zašto je sve više razvoda? Zašto ljudi više ne veruju u porodicu? Spremate novu knjigu? Koje vas teme inspirišu? – Trenutno pišem seriju krimi-novela o london- skom detektivu Maksu Vulfu. Upravo završavam knji- gu broj četiri, a onda ću napraviti pauzu jer moram da smislim šta će se dešavati u knjigama pet i šest. Posle toga ne znam šta ću raditi, verovatno ću se posvetiti pisanju psiholoških trilera.
not doing your job unless you are sitting alone in your room. But I am never lonely in Serbia, thanks to all my readers in that beautiful country. How would you describe them? I am very lucky with my rea- ders, because they are knowledge- able, passionate and friendly. On my very first trip to the Belgrade Book Fair, there was not enough time to meet everyone because in- terviews had been scheduled for later in the day. Now we no longer make that mistake. And everyone seems to go home happy! You came to Belgrade for the first time 40 years ago. Co- uld you tell us what impres- sions you carry from our ca- pital? It must have been 1973. What I remember about that trip – I arri- ved by train and I was spending a couple of months wandering Eu- rope – was that everyone said that when you get to Belgrade you just walk through the streets and so- meone will shout out of a window and ask you if you need a room for the night. And that is exactly what happened! A lovely old Bel- grade lady gave me a room for the night and in the morning her son came round and we had a drink of some incredibly strong alcohol before breakfast. I have no idea what it was! What I remember is a very friendly city where everyone seemed happy to see me although I was just a 20-year-old kid with no money in his jeans. Do you like to travel? I do like to travel, although as I get older I get fussier about where I travel to – I mostly like to go to places I have been to befo- re, I guess. When I was growing up I came from a poor family and we never went abroad – apart from Norway, where one of my mum’s six brothers had settled af-
Svi imaju dobre i loše faze u životu. Mislim da sam srećniji od većine. Znam da bih se sklupčao i umro kad ne bih pisao, upravo me to i tera da ne prestanem Everyone has ups and downs in their life. I think I have been luckier than most. But what makes me keep writing is that I think I would curl up and die if I didn’t
ter the war. So every two years we would go to see my uncle and his Norwegian family – but we wo- uld never fly, we would catch the ferry to Oslo or drive across Den- mark. So for years, after I beca- me a journalist, it was exciting to catch a plane. My wife is Japane- se and we go there once or some- times twice a year. I have a clo- se friend who has lived in Hong Kong and I go there once or twice a year. I do like to be on a long- haul twelve-hour flight becau- se then you are completely dis- connected from the world for a while, and I think that is healthy for a writer. Do you notice any similari- ties between Brits and Ser- bs? London and Belgrade?
Pamtim Beograd kao izuzetno prijateljski grad u kojem su svi delovali srećno što me vide, iako sam bio dvadesetogodišnjak bez dinara u džepu I remember Belgrade as a very friendly city where everyone seemed happy to see me although I was just a 20-year- old kid with no money in his jeans
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