Readers like what the head of the IT company in Debrecen writes – Debrecen news, Debrecen news | Debrecen and Hajdú-Bihar county news
The readers like what the head of the IT company in Debrecen writes
Debrecen – “They deal with IT during the day and literature at night”, says Ferenc Szarvas, with whom we talked about writing, inspiration, literary life in Debrecen and his future plans. Interview.
Ferenc Szarvas came to the world of literature from quite a distance, he has been working in IT for twenty years, and for several years he runs an IT company in Debrecen. A year and a half ago, he attended János Lackfi’s creative writing course, where he learned the ins and outs of the profession. He proved to be a good student, as he recently managed to win the PesText professional prize, announced with the Forrás seal, with his short story Outsourcing.
Photo: Margit Háló
Dehir.hu: As a novice writer, you must have been surprised by this quick success. Did it give you an impetus to continue?
Ferenc Szarvas: Of course, this was a very good confirmation that I am on the right track, there are readers who like what I write. And the fact that my short story holds its own in front of a professional jury is just icing on the cake.
Dehir.hu: There is nothing special about someone reading fiction as a computer scientist, but writing requires a greater commitment. Where did this motivation come from and how do the two worlds fit together in you?
Ferenc Szarvas: Most of the writers have some kind of full-time job, for example Péter Esterházy was a mathematician at first, worked for a computer technology company, and only later became a writer. Oh, and Géza Ottlik was also a mathematician and professional bridge competitor in addition to writing, so mine is not an extraordinary case.
I really like my work, but the relaxation and me time I enjoy has always been fiction. I read a lot, and I think I slowly became a good reader over the years. And from here it is only one step to wanting to write.
Now they deal with IT during the day and literature at night, so I never get bored of either.
Dehir.hu: It can be read in several interviews that he has been attending János Lackfi’s creative writing course for a year and a half. What did you learn there?
Ferenc Szarvas: Writing technique, but mostly discipline, because I wouldn’t have written a single line by myself. The Lackfi creative course is an excellent professional workshop where you get used to regularity. You have to submit a short story every week, and that’s a pretty strong motivation to write. Another strength of the group is that, with the help of the reviewers and group mates, we can also look at our texts through the eyes of readers, and we are also each other’s critics.
Dehir.hu: The environment for most of his prose is the working-class world of Eastern Europe. How does the head of an IT company have such a great insight into this world? To what extent is Debrecen a source of inspiration from this point of view?
Ferenc Szarvas: The depiction of poverty and difficult fates is traditionally present in the mainstream of Hungarian literature, and Debrecen is an inexhaustible source from this point of view, and it is also the only place I know more thoroughly.
The city occupies a prominent place in my writings, because many of the things I write take place here, and my characters are people from Debrecen that I know or have known. I have been collecting and following these stories for thirty years, many of them are no longer alive.
Dehir.hu: To what extent is it present in Debrecen’s literary circle? Do you have a need for this? Do you see writing as a hobby or a vocation?
Ferenc Szarvas: I’m only here as a reader, I’ve been reading KULTer.hu and the Alföldi magazine for a long time, that’s the extent of my relationship with Debrecen literature. But I don’t even know anyone in Debrecen who is so dedicated that they live exclusively from their publications or books. Moreover, I think that very few people in Hungary today make a living from writing alone, and they also only because they have been doing it for decades. And for me, I found a hobby, because I never subordinated my livelihood to writing.
Dehir.hu: He writes both poetry and prose, are you already thinking about volumes?
Ferenc Szarvas: Yes, I’m thinking, but I’m not at that stage of creation yet. I still have a lot to read and learn. I already have what I have to say and my topic, and once I have the professional knowledge to go with them, I would like a book of short stories from my Debrecen-themed writings.
Dehir.hu: Which authors do you like to film?
Ferenc Szarvas: It’s quite variable, I’m always interested in the new. I am now reading Mérő Vera’s book Lúg. I recently read János Háy and György Dragomán among domestic writers, and Haruki Murakami among foreign writers.
Dehir.hu: Where can we see your works next?
Ferenc Szarvas: Two of my short stories will be published soon on the Art’húr literary portal and then on the Szófa literary portal.