‘Desire undermines my human existence’: Lina Rokou’s favourite quote from her book.

Lina Rokou, on the occasion of the publication of her first novel, The End of Hunger, gave a very interesting interview to Womantoc.gr and Efi Alevizou. You can read it below: Lina has vibrant, red hair and a lively writing style. She tackles many things. From poetry to city reporting and from interviews to the latest trends. She is what – for the sake of brevity – we would describe as a ‘child of her time’. A time that is strange and edgy, cheerful and gloomy. An era that is changing rapidly, with new existential questions springing up to join the list of those already unanswered and fundamental: How do you deconstruct the other to reach their core? Can you buy their wisdom, and at what price? Could a lollipop serve as payment? Her first book, The End of Hunger, may well hold all the answers. If, of course, such answers exist at all.-What is the story of The End of Hunger? A strange series of transactions begins between the unemployed Emma and the junk dealer San when the former sells the latter her organs and body parts, whilst the shadow of an old love falls over the relationship that develops. How are the body, reason and emotion deconstructed when we give ourselves to someone? Is there a price to pay for the joy of love? How do we pay it back? I would describe it as a next-door story with strong doses of paranoid romanticism.-Give me a summary of your story. Where are you from and where are you going? I grew up in Corfu until I was 19. My parents live there, so I go back often. My relationship with Corfu has shaped me more than anything else in my life. For me, Corfu is a living organism; it nourishes me, it torments me, it heals me. But it’s better from a distance. Relationships that intense don’t last long in everyday life. I love Pagrati and Mets. I don’t think I could live anywhere else in Athens. I work at Popaganda, I’m out and about in the city a lot, I try to make the most of what it has to offer. I have no idea where I’m going. I’m interested in the present; I reflect on the past but don’t feel nostalgic for it; I think about the future but recognise that I can’t predetermine it—perhaps only build it, and even that only to a certain extent.-You’re a prolific journalist. What does writing mean to you? As a journalist, writing is my job. A job I chose and love. It’s torture, I think, to do something professionally that you don’t like, because just think how many hours a day we work. I almost liken doing a job I don’t fancy to sleeping with a man I don’t desire.-How difficult is it for someone to write a book? What else, apart from writing ability, is required? I don’t know if it’s easy or difficult, generally speaking. For me, the easiest part was the writing itself, and the most demanding part was the editing and proofreading. I read the book countless times, editing, changing, tweaking. I was mainly preoccupied with the ‘editing’, by which I mean that the whole story wasn’t written in a linear fashion. I proceeded using both my logic and my instinct. There were, however, chapters that were written in one go and I hardly touched them at all. I think it requires dedication. You have to be preoccupied with writing your book not only when you’re actually writing it, but also during the rest of the day. In a way, the book becomes an integral part of you; you can’t get it out of your head. Credit: Dimitris Koulelis – Name three books of contemporary literature that have left you speechless.‘Bring Me Maria Kensora’s Head’, the collection of short stories by Panos Tsirou that gives me palpitations every time I read it. ‘Amberludachamin’, a long poem by Samson Raka, the most important poet of our generation. Thirdly, ‘Fin’s Hair’ by Eva Stefanis, for the raw paradox it exudes. – How many hours a day did you work on your book, and how long did it take you to finish it? There was no set schedule. There were days when I didn’t write anything (but I was constantly thinking about it) and others when I spent hours, with the necessary breaks, in front of the screen. I started writing in March 2014 and finished the first draft in August 2014. However, I picked it up again and worked on it intensively from August 2015 until October of the same year. And once more, in early 2017, when I actually changed the ending. Thankfully! – A line from your book that means a lot to you.‘Desire undermines my human existence. I love daisies and hedgehogs. When you come near me, I’ll growl at you. Don’t be afraid. It’s my nature.’ Read the first few pages of the book here.