Interview: Another Faust by Caroline H. and Isabel F.

We came, we saw, we interviewed. Last Thursday November 12th, a group of the lit mag staff went to the Concord Main Library to listen to a much-anticipated author talk. Daniel and Dina Nayeri, the brother-and-sister team who wrote Another Faust, are not only interesting because of their unique writing style, but also because of their interesting background. Both were born in Iran, where many books were banned because of the country’s “restrictive government.” When the Nayeri family immigrated to the USA, neither Daniel nor Dina spoke a word of English. They agree, however, for them a door into American culture was through books and reading. Once the two elementary-age kids mastered beginning literature, they “gravitated towards the classics”. This is because it was safer to read books about 19th century England rather than late 20th century America: this way, Daniel and Dina could start off on the same foot as their peers.

This childhood attachment to the classics is what led the siblings to retell stories like Faust, a well-known story by the German author Goethe. Their “Another Series” of books will include retakes on Peter Pan, Jekyll and Hyde, and similar tales. A main motivation is to direct young bookworms towards classics that otherwise may feel unaccessible. Another Faust and its descendants will assist in setting a reader up for the original and more challenging version of the story, with the same basic plot framework and choices involved.

We asked Dina and Daniel about their work styles in writing the book. They explained that it took 3-4 weeks to outline Faust’s plot. Then, they started trading off segments of the book to write. Since Dina lives in Amsterdam and Daniel lives in NYC, the time difference could cause problems. Yet, Dina, being a night owl, volunteered to stay up late so Daniel and she could go on Skype and interact about the writing process. The authors reveal that co-writing can cause stress in the family- they “fight constantly.” Dina’s work ethic is more systematic and attentive to deadlines, while Daniel is “loose” and relaxed. He lightheartedly commented that Dina would ask him for his latest chapter and he would make up an excuse about playing X-box instead. The lit mag is sure everyone can relate to his claims of procrastination.

We had a great time learning about the writing process and about Another Faust with Dina and Daniel. If you haven’t already, check out the book. You can also read Meg Y.’s review of it to get a better grasp of the plot, characters and mood.