The Skeleton in the Cupboard by Lilija Berzinska
Featuring a community of strange creatures who live along the Livonian coast, in the north of Latvia, these interconnected stories follow the anxieties and existential crises of the creatures, gently satirising their preoccupations and suggesting solutions with empathy and wisdom. These are tales with shades of Tove Jansson’s Moomins and The Summer Book, as well as The Wind in the Willows and the dreamy expanse of Winnie the Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood. Strange and surreal, there is also warmth and humour in these thought-provoking and imaginative stories. Here Lilija describes how Latvian landscapes and the natural world provide huge inspiration for her stories.
You mention in another interview that you view creative work as not only writing on the computer or drawing, but also as thinking and slow walks in the woods or by the sea where ideas unfold and stories begin to live. Is this how The Skeleton in the Cupboard began?
The answer is both yes and no. I couldn’t imagine these stories without my love for the Livonian coast, forests and nature, but the real beginning happened one spring day when I suddenly imagined the Sea Wolf and the Hare and the start of their friendship or love. The second unexpected creature I conjured in my imagination was Squishbod and his hidden skeleton. So I had no choice but to start writing to see where the stories would take me. And of course the writing process involved sitting by the sea, thinking, sketching, disappearing in the forest and being close to nature. Sometimes I think that nature is both my desk and my office.
The setting is obviously a key part of the story. What inspired you to use this location as the setting for your stories?
I love Livonian coast – that was the main inspiration. It’s so quiet and beautiful there, it’s my happy place, where I’ve worked on so many of my books. So for me it was only natural to let my imaginary beings and critters live in these beautiful surroundings, where forests, sea and nature are inseparable from everyday life and adventures.
Do you describe the location as it really is, or use some artistic license?!
I believe I describe the location as it is! You really don’t need to add anything to the Livonian coast. When I wrote my stories, I had real-life places in mind. And I really hope that there are magical beings in these real places. There just have to be!
You weave the scenery, as well as the seasons and the weather throughout your stories, which makes them very atmospheric. Did you spend a lot of time in nature as a child? Did you imagine fairy villages and monsters and magical beings in the landscape around you?
As a child I was blessed with the opportunity to spend all my free time in the garden. I loved to observe seasons, plants, insects, birds and animals. These are my happy memories and I’m sure that without that special childhood time in the garden I wouldn’t love the seasons and nature and write stories now. Those memories of time spent exploring and imagining things (yes, even monsters and magical creatures) are now the basis not only for creative writing, but also my life. These are memories of my own secret garden and happy childhood.
These stories have a timeless feel to them – kind of nostalgic but also relevant to a modern audience, with universal themes. Can you say anything about that?
I suppose the nostalgic feel can be explained by my memories of the times spent in my childhood garden, and on the Livonian beach which I discovered as an adult. I also think that all people long for some kind of happy place where one can be safe and enter some kind of Dreamtime where reality and imagination intertwine and a magical happy realm appears. And universal themes are just a mirror where we can see ourselves without judgment. I tried to write about struggles, dreams and fears and I tried to show love, acceptance and empathy towards all my imaginary creatures.
You’ve mentioned in a previous interview that your favourite books in childhood include The Wind in The Willows by Kenneth Grahame and Grimms’ Fairy tales. Would you say these books influenced your writing style and the characters in your stories? Were you always drawn to fairy tales and magical / surreal stories?
I think the main driving force of my writing is longing for a cosy and happy place where nature and imagination thrive and simple living is valued. That’s why I was drawn to The Wind in The Willows and similar stories, because they spoke the language I understood. My childhood books offered an alternative world, and I guess I try to offer the same to my readers.
The Skeleton in the Cupboard and Other Stories by Lilija Berzinska, translated by Žanete Vēvere Pasqualini and Sara Smith, is published by The Emma Press,12th September, paperback, ISBN 9781915628206. theemmapress.com
Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Federation.
