From
Bulgaria, Alexander
Tomov, Junior is an author, freelance writer and film director. Tomov
creates “surreal and mystical cinema which expresses my ideas through symbols.
Its primary purpose is to look deep into human subconsciousness, in the hidden
desires and feelings, to solve them and to explore the strange ways by which,
according to me, they guide life. These themes dominate also in the short
stories I write.”
Welcome Alexander…
When did
you realize you wanted to become a writer?
I
started writing poetry when I was 15 or 16. My first published book was a
collection of poems. It would be fair to say that my parents pointed me in the
direction of literature, as they are also writers. I wrote my first short story
collection, Future Gone, when I was
21 or 22. It’s a strange book, in terms of its ideas and its point of view.
After I wrote it, I decided to search for ways to take my writing abroad,
outside of my home country. My dream and my ambition is to be able to present
my philosophical insights globally and have them reach as many people as
possible. I dare say that in some respects, I’ve developed a unique and
one-of-a-kind perspective on the world, on existence, and on human consciousness
as a whole.
What is
the premise for "Beyond the Absurd"?
I
could say that "Beyond the Absurd"
is the essence of me at this time. It was precisely my journey as a writer
through the world of literature that brought me to what I think is the most
perfect genre—that of the absurd. After I started thinking in this way, I wrote
my book Beyond the Absurd.
The
absurd is a literary genre I discovered relatively late, but it has already
become a kind of second nature. The absurd is closest to my way of thinking.
What is actually the absurd? It is the unthinkable, which could nevertheless
happen at any moment.
Generally
speaking, almost everything—when it comes to people and the universe—could be
labeled as absurd, from the point of view of human consciousness. People try to
subject the world and their lives to some logic, but no matter how close they
get to accomplishing this, it could all fall apart and become absurd at any
moment. I’m sure that all of us experience at least a few absurd instances in
our own lives. This has been proven by human history as well. Great scientists,
such as Einstein and some contemporary physicists have proven that even
mathematics itself is absurd and that numbers and strict logic are sometimes contradictory.
The absurd, I believe, can unite all the other genres within itself. It is
precisely the absurd that allows for otherwise impossible connections between
everything to be made, by letting you completely open your consciousness to the
existential. Also the absurd is the embodiment of chaos and a counterpoint to
the human desire to control everything.
Can you
share an excerpt?
As
excerpt, I give a quote from me and also part from one of my short stories -
"The Hotel of Absurdity".
Quote: "...THERE IS
SOMETHING INHERENTLY DECEPTIVE ABOUT REALITY...".
"The Hotel of Absurdity":
"....Soon, we came to a stop in front of a
closed door. The bellboy motioned for me to come closer. I put my ear against
the door…
“… The Masters of the World radical group is
starting a new campaign under the slogan, ‘The country of --- – may its territory’s
borders extend to three different oceans!’ If some other country mocks the
endeavor, the Masters of the World would consider this a grave insult and will
have no choice but to respond to such ridicule with nuclear weapons!”
The bellboy and I exchanged glances and we both
shrugged, kind of naturally. Then once again, we headed down the hallway, whose
end was already in sight. From several feet away, I could hear a heated
argument. I stopped next to another open door.
Through it, I saw two men, both dressed in
elegant suits, who stood face-to-face with each other, as in an ancient battle.
Both of them had white hair and anxious expressions. A small fire was burning
on the floor next to them.
“There’s some kind of logic to be found in
virtually each and every absurdity in this world, even in the most total of absurdities!”
one of them said.
“I’ve never heard a bolder claim! Then let me
put you to a challenge! Find the logic in that ancient movie’s senseless line, which
went like this, ‘I always tell the truth. Even when I lie.’”
“Of course there’s logic in it! Don’t you see
it? That’s not a challenge, it’s mere child’s play,” his opponent said, without
even stopping to think about it.
“Then, explain to me how you can detect even a
hint of logic in it!”
“It’s very simple. The line’s logic is obvious,
if we assume that the man who said it was a blatant and over-the-top liar. If
he purposefully lied in a way that let everyone know that he was lying, this
means that by lying, he expressed himself as a liar. Therefore, in a weird way,
he revealed the truth about himself through lying.”
“Yes, this might possibly be a logical thread,
but…”
"The Hotel of Absurdity" - the whole
story free link click here.
What is
your viewpoint about human existence?
This
is very complicated question and I can't answer with couple words or pages. I
can make some discussion with people, who have read my stories.
Describe
where you write and your muse(s)....
I
write at home, front of my computer. But my absurd ideas come everywhere. About
muses, it’s very difficult for me to answer it, but I’ll try to do it in the
simplest possible way. My mind is filled with countless pieces of different
realities, crazy ideas, and absurd points of view, visions from the future,
impulses, and perceptions.
My
main goal is to somehow connect them in a short story; to find the impossible
link between them, where at first glance no such link exists. This is at the
heart of my creative process—finding the invisible thread and then coming up
with a way to show all that to the reader. Regarding my inspiration, what I
could say is that there are certain, very special moments, when my
consciousness starts to function at very strange frequencies. The state itself
is incomprehensible. My creative process is based on intuition.
What are
you currently writing?
The
last book from me was "Beyond the
Absurd". But I always write short stories. I need only to not lose my
sense and intuition for writing.
What are
you currently reading?
I'm
very curious in some science areas. I love science and most astrophysics,
cosmology and modern and strange hypotheses, about human brain and our reality.
There is no one title, but the last time I read more about The Holographic
Universe. I'm a little obsessed from this theory. Even I think that in some of
my absurd short stories, there are some insights about Holographic Universe.
Who is
your favorite author?
I
would say that some modern and classic authors inspire my writing – writers
like Franz Kafka, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Stephen King also, Jorge Luis Borges, and
Chekhov. However, someone who always amazes me is Antoine de Saint – Exupéry
with “The Little Prince”. Simply
written book in which is the whole world.
As a
filmmaker, what films have you produced/written?
As
filmmaker I create short and existential movies in the same area as in
literature - Absurd, dystopia, fantasy, fiction, post – apocalyptic, grotesque
and drama. I have also a little book trailers
creating business. You can see some more details here.
Who is
your favorite filmmaker?
My
favorite filmmaker is David Lynch. Genius film director. He has influenced most
to my short movies on conscious and unconscious level. Mad and surreal creator.
Also deep connected with the Absurd.
Do you
have a favorite movie/series?
They
are too many. But I could say, that generally I like deep, dramatic and
psychological cinema.
Do you
have advice for novice writers?
My
most important piece of advice to new writers is to always believe in their
work, and in literature as a whole. For a freelance writer, a writer like me,
being successful in today’s commercial world can sometimes prove to be
extremely difficult. Generally speaking, the system as a whole brings you down,
oppresses you, and gives you no chances when you are on your own. This is simply
how the world works. This is a given. But if you persevere and never stop
believing in your dream, you’ll always find a way.
In
that respect, a young writer has to keep fighting and trying to develop an
inventive mind. There’s one other thing I’d like to say to young authors. Each
and every person in the world is unique. Each person’s character, their
imagination, and their past are one-of-a-kind. In that respect, I believe that
each and every person is capable of creating literature, as long as he/she is
able to make the right connections and to represent even his/her whole life and
imagination in a way that is original, interesting, and accessible to others.
And something very important for new writers - To stand against their fears and
try to transform everything in their minds into literature.
Александър Томов Links…
Book
Trailer business:
All book trailers...
Stories:
The
Hotel of Absurdity - short story:
Beyond
the Absurd - short story:
STORY
1 - short story:
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