Ana Henriques Brotas

What was your favorite book as a child?

Despite reading quite a lot during my childhood, I cannot pinpoint which book was my favorite. However, I recall a traditional story which left a lasting impression. It was a short tale called “The Old Lady and The Thief”. I think it made that much of an impact because I always imagined my own grandmother as the protagonist.

Do you remember the original reason or motivation why you started writing creatively?

Storytelling, as a fundamental form of transferring knowledge from generation to generation, has always fascinated me. This interest shaped my work initially by assuming a visual form, when I studied Cinema and Photography. Later, mainly because of school, I started writing more often, as an outlet for my thought process. At some point, I realized it gained a rightful place in my practice.

What was the most adventurous or thrilling thing you ever did/experienced?

This is a very hard question to answer, but I find that travelling is to put oneself in an adventurous situation. From the experiences that I had, I think that visiting both the regions of the Amazon Rainforest and Serrinha do Alambari in Brazil were extremely meaningful and intense moments.

Do you listen to music while reading or writing?

Nowadays, I write mostly on my computer and I usually get completely submerged — almost detached — from the world. So, even if there’s music playing, I’m not really listening. Perhaps my senses are just not capable of multitasking.