Adelisa Begić, a young writer and artist whose work skillfully combines the power of emotion with the beauty of words, is a Hastor Foundation alumnus. She is the author of two books that have captured readers’ hearts and has extended her artistic expression to the theater stage, directing the play “Esma Sultanija.” Her works, imbued with sincerity and deep reflection, testify to a talent without boundaries.
- When did your love for writing begin, and what did that beginning look like?
My love for writing appeared early, during elementary school. I always loved reading. I remember a lady at the city library who would always give me more books than the usual limit because I would read them and return them in no time. That is when the desire to put my emotions on paper and write something of my own—whatever it might be—awakened.
- What does your creative writing process involve? Do you follow a certain routine, or is it purely inspired?
As for routine, I think it is impossible to establish one. We cannot always write something inspiring at a set time each day. There are times when I do not write anything for a month, but there are also periods when I write every day. For me, the essential condition is peace and solitude so that I can hear my deepest emotions in that silence and transfer them onto paper.
- What is your greatest challenge in writing, and how present are personal experiences and emotions in your works? Where do you draw the line between the personal and fiction?
My biggest challenge has always been when someone asks me to write a greeting or a message for another person, because it is difficult for me to put emotions into words for someone I do not know at all. For me, a text is never just a few scattered sentences; I always try to convey the depth of meaning even with few words. As for the works I have published, emotions are, of course, present, but they are added to events that never actually happened and have no connection to my own life. What you read in my books is not really me. In addition to the published works, I have always kept my personal diaries, where I truly am myself—exposed with all my deepest emotions. There is no fiction there, no pretending, no holding back from joy or pain, and, naturally, no one else reads that.
- Your books and the play “Esma Sultanija” are full of strong emotions. How do you manage to translate your feelings into words that reach readers and audiences?
I am someone who approaches everything in life first with the heart, then with the mind, and my emotions have always prevailed over everything else. I am a person who cannot hide emotions, neither in verbal communication nor on paper. The honesty and intensity of those emotions naturally transfer to the page, and that is how they reach the readers in the most genuine way.
- What advice would you give to young writers who want to develop their literary expression and distinctive style?
It is important to be yourself, but also, at the beginning, to try everything and then find what truly belongs to you. Remember that everything you write does not have to be perfect, but you should see the meaning in what you have expressed, and not be afraid to show your deepest emotions and have unlimited imagination. When all of that comes together, it creates extraordinary poetic expressions that endure forever.
Interviewed by: Lamija Sejdić
Translated by: Sara Kuduzović
