Claudia Durastanti shares her thoughts on evolving as a writer.
In her early twenties, Claudia Durastanti recalls an older writer’s advice: “You don’t write for yourself.” This revelation shifted her focus from a more intimate form of writing, journaling, to broader themes that highlighted the importance of connecting with an audience. “How can I be published if I was not read?” she asked, recognising that writing must resonate with others.
Durastanti describes her creative process as complex: “I’m not afraid of wasting ideas. I’m not afraid of wasting time or wasting materials. And I never throw out stuff.” She believes that even imperfect beginnings can lead to meaningful outcomes, comparing writing to music: “It’s like a song where new instruments can transform the piece.”
Among her favourite works, she highlights Virginia Woolf’s The Waves for its ability to “translate vibrations of life into language.” She also praises Don DeLillo’s Underworld and Cesare Pavese’s journal, Il Messiere di Vivere, as a touching exploration of personal reflection and connection. “There’s something nostalgic about a writer striving to reach others,” she notes and continues: “When you step out and realise you’re writing for something beyond yourself, it’s a really beautiful moment.”
Claudia Durastanti is a writer and translator born in New York in 1984 and raised in Basilicata, Italy. Durastanti is known for her exploration of identity and familial relationships. Her work includes novels, essays, and memoirs, with notable titles such as “Strangers I Know” (2022) and “Cleopatra Goes to Prison” (2020). She is the Italian translator of Joshua Cohen, Donna Haraway, Ocean Vuong, and the most recent edition of The Great Gatsby. Strangers I Know, a finalist for the Premio Strega in 2019, has been translated into twenty-one languages. Durastanti currently lives in Rome.
Emma Holten interviewed Claudia Durastanti at the Louisiana Literature festival in August 2023 at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark.
Camera: Rasmus Quistgaard
Edit: Signe Boe Pedersen
Produced by Christan Lund
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2024.
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