Lisa Haselton Interviews Writer Ana T. Kralj about her new literary fiction hybrid novel, The Visit.
Welcome, Ana. Please tell us about your current release.
In the words of the poet Carla Drysdale: “In The Visit, Ana T. Kralj has created a profound and deftly braided portrayal of what it means to be both fragile and powerful. The interweave of pristine prose and an echoing poem bind the reader with Luna through the barren and lush landscapes of Finland and Slovenia as she navigates the narrows to selfhood. Survival isn’t guaranteed. As Luna deals with the grief of war, the challenges of university life and the complexities of love, friendship and family, she discovers what there is to live for.”
What inspired you to write this book?
It started with a state of mind. I had quit my job, and suddenly felt a kind of freedom I didn’t remember ever feeling before in my life. There was a children’s party happening somewhere, and balloons were tied in a bunch outside the door. One of the balloons got loose and started floating up. I stood on the street, a quiet street in a small town in New York, watching the balloon go up, and I felt immense freedom, immense happiness. I still remember that moment very clearly. That was the first spark. It’s right there, on the first page. But after that, of course, when I started working on the actual story, lots of things sneaked in. Like the war we lived in the 90s, and the struggles of becoming an adult … all this came later….
Read the whole interview here at https://lisahaselton.com/2024/12/16/interview-with-writer-ana-t-kralj/
