When You Interview Svetlana Alexievich, She'll Start Interviewing You

A journalist meets the 2015 Nobel Prize winner at the Louisiana Literature festival: "She was reluctant, when asked, to describe the evolution of her style. ('Must I explain everything?') ... 'When I walk my dog in Minsk, I go past a church,' she told the festival audience, 'I see the youth with their new cars. The priest comes out to see them. They want their cars to be blessed.' This is how she prefers to answer questions - through details. ... When the interview ended, after forty minutes, I