[{"text_idx": "#000004", "text": "All of my books but one were first written in Esperanto and later I translated them into English. But these days I write parallel versions, always a chapter in Esperanto, then the English version. I say \u201cversion,\u201d because I feel free to vary the text if I think it sounds better to do so. After each chapter I read the work to my wife Katja, whose first languages, Hungarian and Slovak, give her a different linguistic taste from mine. Her criticisms are often useful."}, {"text_idx": "#000005", "text": "The experience of actually getting the books published is a very different story. I was lucky in that my first novel in Esperanto, Sed nur fragmento (the English version is called Fatal Empires) immediately established me as a name. I could probably offer my manuscripts to any publishing house in the Esperanto world and have them accepted."}, {"text_idx": "#000008", "text": "How did you come to the idea to publish in Esperanto? Were they translations or did you write originally in Esperanto?"}, {"text_idx": "#000009", "text": "Only one book of mine appeared originally in English: No Butterflies in Bergen-Belsen. The rest, as I said, were original works in Esperanto. Why did I choose the international language? That\u2019s a long story, but to make it brief: I always wanted to write, but thought I had nothing new to say in English. But the fledgling literature of Esperanto has wide gaps for any new writer. Having gained recognition for my Esperanto books, I found I could add something to the enormous English literature as well."}, {"text_idx": "#000011", "text": "That\u2019s hard to answer. It would depend on the interests of the reader. Most of my novels have a definite historical background: the colonial empires of the 19th century, Germany between the wars, Germany in 1968, Australia from 1939 on, Palestine in the first century (the Jesus novel Reluctant Messiah). There are a couple of collections of short stories with an Australian background (Remember and Forget and Australia felix \u2013 the latter not yet available in English). One book of mine is a series of travelogues involving many countries, Falantaj muroj, but mainly about the Soviet Union in its last year. It is sold out in Esperanto and not yet translated into English."}, {"text_idx": "#000012", "text": "From what I remember, you once told me that even though you spoke fluent German, you would never feel confident writing in it, since it\u2019s not your native language. So, to my surprise, I saw a French book among your bibliography. How did that come about?"}, {"text_idx": "#000013", "text": "The French book is a translation by a team of French Esperantists, so that\u2019s no credit to me! I can write in German, and have done some original stories in that language. However, there is often a tiny doubt as to whether I have used exactly the right expression, so I have to check and check again, a wearisome process."}, {"text_idx": "#000014", "text": "Also, I can\u2019t forget that we first met in 2002 when you worked as the Director General of the Universal Esperanto Association and I was the World Esperanto Youth Organization\u2019s full-time volunteer. What was it like working at UEA and what are you doing today?"}, {"text_idx": "#000016", "text": "On returning to Australia I went back to teaching German, then medieval and modern history at a Steiner school, but I\u2019ve been retired for a couple of years owing to a breakdown in my health. However, I\u2019m now fit again and launching another career as a writer in English \u2013 perhaps the hardest job of my life!"}, {"text_idx": "#000019", "text": "About the Author: Chuck Smith"}, {"text_idx": "#000020", "text": "I was born in the US, but Esperanto has led me all over the world. I started teaching myself Esperanto on a whim in 2001, not knowing how it would change my life. The timing couldn\u2019t have been better; around that same time I discovered Wikipedia in it\u2019s very early stages and launched the Esperanto version. When I decided to backpack through Europe, I found Esperanto speakers to host me. These connections led me to the Esperanto Youth Organization in Rotterdam, where I worked for a year, using Esperanto as my primary language. Though in recent years I\u2019ve moved on to other endeavors like iOS development, I remain deeply engrained in the Esperanto community, and love keeping you informed of the latest news. The best thing that came from learning Esperanto has been the opportunity to connect with fellow speakers around the globe, so feel free to join in the conversation with a comment! I am now the founder and CTO of the social app Amikumu."}, {"text_idx": "#000024", "text": "Saluton kaj salaton dum la norda somero"}, {"text_idx": "#000026", "text": "Trev\u2019s decency prevents him from expanding as to all the pro bono work he and his dear Katja have given solo and as a team. Primarily, I\u2019d say, what\u2019s outstanding is their sacrifice over decades in the field teaching Dr. Zamenhof\u2019s language of world peace. I\u2019d like to add too a personal anecdote from about a decade and a half ago when I drove 3,000 km across the Nullarbor Plain from Melbourne to Perth seeking his help. While it\u2019s true that the Steele\u2019s and I do not share the same religious beliefs we categorically do share and defend the strict neutrality of the Esperanto movement vis-a-vis politics and religion. However that may be, Trevor hesitated not one moment in providing expert and prolonged help polishing my cumbersome Esperanto rendition of my original work \u2013 \u201cMaking World Peace Real: The Baha\u2019i Faith and Esperanto\u201d. Any assessment of that help (which I invite to peruse free of charge below) provided gratis to this amateur reveals his professionalism and more importantly \u2013 his generosity."}]