Niki Orfanou

What was your favorite book as a child?

I got an illustrated book of Hans Christian Andersen stories for my birthday when I was seven or eight. I especially loved the Ugly Duckling and The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep. They were beautiful, but also sad, and even now I expect every good story to carry that mix of wonder and melancholy. There weren’t many children’s books in our house, so I read adult books as well. I remember I was both confused and fascinated by Dostoyevsky’s White Nights. I was probably far too young for it.

What was the original reason or motivation why you started writing creatively?

In primary school we were often asked to write personal stories, like describing our weekend. My teachers noticed that my stories were imaginative and had a certain spark, so I became known as the writer in my class. I entered some competitions and won. After that, well… alea iacta est! The die was cast, there was no turning back.

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

I could give a million different answers, so I’ll admit: I don’t know. I think many of my most intense, thrilling adventures happened through a book of poetry or literature. I’m suddenly reminded of one experience when I was sixteen. I was staying in a small hotel on the coastline of Peloponnese with my parents, sharing a room with my siblings. The bedsheets smelled of fish, I couldn’t sleep. At 5 a.m. I was reading a poetry book I had bought the previous day by the Greek poet Tasos Leivaditis. It was an explosive experience.

Do you listen to music while reading or writing?

I used to, especially when I took my laptop to work in cafes, it was unavoidable. Once I wrote the opening scene of a play inspired by the rhythm of the songs playing in the cafe. Nowadays I mostly work from home or the local library, and I listen to binaural beats through headphones. I’ve found they help me concentrate better and slip into a creative flow.