João Cerqueira
Author Interview - João Cerqueira
Author of Perestroika: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
Perestroika overthrows communist regimes in Europe.
In the People's Republic of Slavia the former leaders are trying to survive the new times, while their victims seek revenge.
Former President Alfred Ionescu is placed in an asylum he himself built. Zut Zdanov, the head of culture, is confronted with his child abuse. Helena Yava, responsible for education, wants to avenge her lover's death. Igor Olin, responsible for the economy, fights for his disabled son to have a dignified life. Art historian Silvia Lenka wants to know who her parents are. Lia Kirchner, the daughter of a painter who died in a re-education camp, wants to know the truth.
Having as a binding element Pilate's question to Jesus “what is truth?”, Perestroika is a novel of revenge, redemption and catharsis inspired by recent European history.
Author Interview - João Cerqueira
Author I draw inspiration from:
My favorite writers are Marcel Proust, Pär Largerkvist, Mikhail Bulgakov, George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Phillip Roth, Paul Auster, W. G. Sebald, Italo Calvino, Henrique Vila-Matas,José Saramago and Lobo Antunes.
Author Interview - João Cerqueira | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
On the couch, alone, without any noise.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I would like to be trapped in an elevator with the God of the Bible. I'm sure he would solve the problem faster than he created the universe. Furthermore, he could ask many questions that no one on Earth can answer.
For example, who were his parents?
Did he ever feel alone?
Have he ever had a girlfriend?
Author Interview - João Cerqueira | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
My love of books was instilled by my father, who bequeathed me a library with over a thousand books. I looked at those books and dreamed of doing something similar. I thought those writers were the most important people in the world. I wanted to be like them.
In this library I discovered the classics of world literature. Among the reference books, I discovered, as a spiritual guide and instruction manual for the winding road of life, Erasmus of Rotterdam's In praise of Folly. This is why humor is so important in my writing.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I consider all book publishing formats to be important, but I continue to only read paper books.
The last book I read:
The lasta book I read was An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic by Daniel Mendelsohn. The emotional and intellectual reunion between a father and a son based on Homer's Odyssey was one of the best reads of recent times.
Author Interview - João Cerqueira | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Only people who don't write assume that literature depends on inspiration—something that appears from time to time, falling from the sky.
Writing is a job like any other and requires effort and discipline. As such, every day I sit down in front of the computer to try and create something new. What's more, when I'm starting a book, I'm always thinking about how to move the plot forward. Inspiration strikes at those times.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
I think I could be friends with Ulysses from Homer's Odyssey. He's a flawed man, but at the most important moments, he makes the right moral choices. I have the same faults and I strive to have the same qualities.
Author Interview - João Cerqueira | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
In addition to being a writer, I am a professor of art history.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
I'm interested in prehistory and Neanderthals, the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages, the Second World War, and communist regimes.
Place I’d most like to travel:
I like visiting old cities, but I also like tropical beaches. I really like Madrid, Rome, Paris and New York. The country that impressed the most was Thailand.
My signature drink:
Wine is my religion. I only drink at dinner, but I can't imagine eating without a glass of wine. I like white wines, rosés and champagne. Lately, I've been tasting Italian red wines. Of course, I consider Portuguese wines, red or white, to be the best in the world.
Favorite artist:
I like Marc Chagall and Nick Cave.
Number one on my bucket list:
Diving in the waters of Cape Verde.
Anything else you'd like to add:
We should try to laugh at ourselves.
Find more from the author:
About João Cerqueira:
Author Interview - João Cerqueira
João Cerqueira was born and lives in Viana do Castelo, Portugal.
He holds a PhD in Art History from the University of Porto.
He is the author of nine books and is published in eight countries: Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, England, United States, Brazil, Argentina.
He won the 2024 Independent Press Award, the 2024 BookFest Awards, the 2024 FireBird Awards, the 2024 Outstanding Creator Awards, the 2023 Historical Fiction Company Book of the Year, the 2020 Indie Reader Awards, the 2014 Global ebook Awards and the 2013 USA Best Book Awards. He was nominated for the 2023 Puschcart Prize.
