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Often my “books are quite controversial, like Nothing, which nobody wanted to publish at the beginning, but it became a best-seller in many countries and was translated into25 langua”gesON HUMANISMANDEXTREMISMAuthor Janne Teller discussesthe writer’s role in the political and social issues that threaten the worldThe recent Frankfurt Book Fair 2015 saw the return of critically acclaimed and best-selling novelist and essayist Janne Teller to the Authors’ Lounge. The Danish writer of Austrian-German descent hosted a forum about the roleof writers in global political and social issues. As a writer, Ms Teller has received numerous literary accolades and prizes, including the Michael L. Printz Award for Literary Excellence in 2011. Circling existential questions of life and civilization and often sparking debate and controversy, Ms Teller’s works are considered refreshing and thought-provoking by peers and readers. No less insightful in person, the author sat down with Elite+ to discuss her beginnings and some of the pressing issues of our times.How did you become a writer?I always wanted to write, ever since I was a small child, and storytelling was my way of seeing the world. I published my first short story in a Danish newspaper when I was 14. I think I started my first novel when I was 11. I come from an immigrant family in Denmark. My mother came with the Red Cross to Denmark when she was a child after World War II from Austria. On my father’s side, his father had migrated to Denmark from Germany after World War I. For an immigrant family, being an artist is not very sought after. You’re supposed to have a good education and make a living. I was very interested in the world, and that’s why I ended up studying macroeconomics, which is of course very different from novel writing! I always knew I wanted to write fiction, but I also knew that I needed to have a job, make a living. I wrote fiction when I was doing the degree, and after that I got a job at the European Union and the UN in Africa – a few years in Tanzania and Mozam- bique. Eventually in 1995, when I was 30, I had saved up enough money to stop working and only write.Was it hard to start a career as a writer?Yes. My first novel did very well, but it took me five years to finish it. It’s called Odin’s Island, and it’s a Nordic saga about religious andElite+ 5