“Female characters are complex, sometimes more complex than we can put into words”
Interview | Ana-Maria Negrilă
Ana-Maria Negrilă, a Romanian writer, translator, and literary critic, believes that writers should pay close attention to gender representation in their fiction.
“Female characters are complex, sometimes more complex than we can put into words, that is why they are in danger of becoming mere stereotypes,” she said, speaking ahead of her appearance at the 7th EU-China International Literary Festival.
“Strong women are not necessary physically strong as some science fiction works portray them, they are more than that, they are daughters, lovers, wives, mothers, they are learners, they are workers, they are the ones who laugh and cry, who win or fail. A complex female character will have to be all these and much more. This is how writers should portray them.”
Her series The Kingdom of Lost Souls has been very well received with the most recent book winning the Colin Literary Award in 2021. These inter-galactical thrillers introduce us to concepts such as pseudoclathrin implants, senso-memory, anh agents and anh flow, a series that involves complex world-building and rich narratives, as Negrilă explains:
“Five hundred years after the colonization of planet Galene, its inhabitants are in a dynamic process of rearranging power relations, a process from which espionage, betrayal and assassination are not missing. The technologies used by some of the colonists to store information (senso-memory) and communicate (anh stream/pseudoclathrin implants) enable them to manipulate other people and conceal themselves in hostile societies. The story is told using different perspectives, among which: the anh agents, who have developed a unique relationship with the planet by using an ancient form of communication, a Golem meant to fight a war that is brewing, clones created to fight the dangerous anh agents, and an indigenous creature called the Vegetal Mind.”
Negrilă also works as a translator and a literary critic, which she believes both strengthen and influence her owns skills as a writer.
“Before translating a text, I dissect it first in order to gain access to its key and to be able to find the best words to transfer its richness to the target language. As a literary critic, I perform a similar action, of digging out meaning, and in this process, I also learn to be a better writer,” she said.
Her writing interests are very wide, with publications not only in science fiction but also fantasy, historical fiction and non-fiction, which is all fuelled by her voracious reading habit.
“I have always been a passionate reader, not limited to a certain genre, time or place. I read Chinese literature, but also European or African, medieval, as well as classical or modern. Actually, my interest goes towards magical realism and fantasy, but also history and technology. By combining these, I find inspiration for my projects.”
As a non-fiction writer, most of her writings focus on education and on the steps to be taken in order to prepare it for the future and “In relation to these, I have also addressed the problem of discrimination in education and gender inequalities,” she said.
A regular presenter of writing workshops, Negrilă’s key advice to aspiring writers would be to “learn the secrets of good fiction, write as much as possible, gain experience, and publish. In this way, you will discover both your distinct voice and the voices of your characters. And, more importantly, do not give up!”
At the 7th EU-China International Literary Festival, Negrilă will deliver a masterclass on the topic “Voices, Characters and Breaking Stereotypes in the Development of Female Narrators.”