Roman Corzun is an aspiring writer.
Roman has published his first book-biography about his life and travels!
We talked to the author and were able to find out some details.
Ecaterina Caracicovscaia:
"Roman, good afternoon! Let's talk about your book, it makes a solid impression, especially by the size of the pages. It is immediately clear that the work is demanding.
Tell us what the novel is about? What did you want to convey to the reader?"
Roman Corzun
Roman: " Hello, Ecaterina! Thank you for your interest in my book and for inviting me!"
Yes, I started writing this book back in 2014 and it has become quite extensive, although I have tried to write compactly so as not to overload a modern person with too much information.
This is exactly why I tried to write short and sweet. I think that after a certain period of immersion (www.myescapetoeldorado.com), the book will be read in one breath until the end.
The book describes events that really happened to me, starting from the year 95 of the last century until 2010, with small digressions about earlier events. A time of political and technological upheaval. What seems so self-evident today was unthinkable in the 90s, although it still seems quite contemporary....
These were extraordinary events. A whole chain of events, real adventures that lasted more than a decade. Of course, no matter how much I tried to compress them, I could not tell everything in a nutshell. However, the UN report could be kept very compact and covered only one page. But there I don't want to say another word about it, so as not to spoil the impression for those who want to know my work for themselves, namely by reading my book from beginning to end.
After all, it's structured in such a way that as a reader you're always in suspense, you don't want to stop until you know what's going to happen on the next page, and so on until you've read the whole book. I feel like my book is, in a way, like a riveting television series that you watch season after season for nights on end. But the amazing thing is that everything up to the last word is not mere fiction, but based on real events. Except for some names that had to be changed to protect privacy.
To answer your question, what is the novel about? Even as a schoolboy in the Soviet Union I must have dreamed of going abroad. And then circumstances came in such a way that I had to go. But it proved to be a difficult undertaking and turned into an incredible story.
Was there anything I wanted to convey to the reader? I very much hope that the reader will understand what I wanted to convey if they read the book to the end. And everyone will probably take away something for themselves. On the whole, it should simply be an interesting and compelling story, and like any art, evoke emotion. Above all, I want readers to like my book, to enjoy it.
E.C.: Where did the urge to write come from?
R.C.:
After I had traveled this path, I wanted to write everything down on paper. To record it for generations. It was even a kind of psychotherapy for me. The most interesting thing was that I remembered all the details, really all the details, but as soon as I transferred it to paper, I suddenly forgot everything. I mean, when I read it back through later, I felt like I hadn't written it, and I just couldn't remember a lot of the details. It's an amazing phenomenon.
And once, when I was sort of in a severe stalemate between "Matrix" and "reality," a friend said to me, "Don't waste your time! Do something! Write a book!" That idea stuck with me like a seed. However, it took at least seven years for it to germinate.
E.C.: Could you tell us something about your creative process?
R.C.: It is an incredible process! It's like sinking to the bottom of the ocean - suddenly everything around you disappears or stops. It's just you and a white sheet on the laptop. You're completely immersed in the events you're writing about, and the text seems to flow like a stream.
Since I didn't have much time to write the book, I often wrote on the train on the way. And I could just pass a stop. That happened a lot.
E.C. You criticize the authorities a lot when it comes to emigration issues, weren't you afraid to write so openly?
R.C.: I was not afraid at all. In fact, I think I was very diplomatic in my criticism. I can't even call it criticism. I was simply stating the facts. And as for some of it, since it may sometimes seem like a judgment, it was more a description of my feelings at the moment of the events described. Here, I think, it was necessary to be open until the end. Otherwise it would not have been possible to convey all the feelings and the agony I went through.
E.C.: You also wrote openly about border crossings and passport falsification, the case is old, of course, but aren't you afraid of prosecution afterwards?
R.C.: No, of course not. In fact, I have described the events that could theoretically be of interest to some authorities. But about many things in my current country the authorities know everything, and the others, I think, do not care, besides, there is no more evidence. And in any case, there are statutes of limitations in the law for such violations, which have long since expired.
E.C.: In the book you describe how you got interested in computers, how you learned and mastered new programs. And what do you think about the Internet? What impact does it have on people's lives and what could you say about it?
R.C.: The Internet has turned all of our lives upside down! I can imagine how much easier some things would have been if we had the Internet in the 90s! And especially in the quality as today! I often remind readers that this or that event took place in a different technological time. After all, the Internet has become so commonplace, even though very little time has passed since its appearance, not only historically, but even generationally. After all, it's only 20 years, which is two generations. And the mobile Internet even less.
E.C.: If you could advise yourself something at a young age, what would it be?
R.C.: Probably I would not have listened to the advice of my experienced and wise self. But the first thing that comes to my mind is the time when I moved from Ryshkanovka (district in Chişinău) to Bayukany and as a result I changed schools. I was in a class with a mathematical focus, and in the new school I changed to the humanitarian class for lack of it. As a result, not only did I do worse in the new school, but I didn't really get into learning. I think I would advise myself first of all not to change schools and to do my homework diligently.
And, if the young me were to ask the me experienced why I need this, me experienced would say that in my old school, from my class ⅔ have gone over the world - all of them have made careers, mainly in Western companies. All of them have realized their careers and hold high positions, and none of them had to go through the, let's say, hell that I had to go through.
But there are also positive sides. I became what I am, and I even wrote a book about it. Because it would have been very difficult to just make it up.
E.C.: If you had the opportunity to travel in time, what moment in the past would you choose and why?
R.C.: I think the time when my grandparents were alive. Just to be with them. After all, when I left, I could not imagine that I would see them for the last time.
E.C.: The book breaks off at what seems to me the most interesting point. If you want a happy ending, the story and photos of the wedding, you want to see and learn about the children and life of now, already grown Roman Corzun, tell me about your family, please.
R.C.: In my opinion, the book ends exactly where it should, and the rest is up to you. After all, the book is not about my personal life. I think I can tell something briefly here, because I didn't really focus on that in my book.
My wife Aleksandra is from Latvia, we have been together for 14 years, we have two beautiful daughters, one is 7 and the other is 4 years old. We both live in one of the Western European countries (I won't say which one to keep the intrigue), we work a lot, on vacations we always go somewhere. Even during the pandemic we postponed trips and it was not always possible to go abroad, but you can't do without traveling. And the children have gotten used to it as well. Vacation is associated with travel, whether it's far or near, but it has to be a trip. And, of course, every year we try to visit our old homeland. Now I have several of them: Ukraine, Latvia, Moldova...
E.C.: You and Aleksandra travel a lot. Did you get into any strange situations on your travels?
R.C.: Thank God, no. Now I try to plan trips carefully, and we also cross all borders legally. In my past there were enough curious situations, now I wish for thoughtfulness and serenity.
E.C.: A sequel to the book, will there be one?
R.C.: As I said, in my opinion the book is self-contained and there is nothing to continue. But you can imagine one or the other spin-off, since I barely cover the years before the trip. However, I didn't experience too many events. There were some interesting episodes, but not enough for a second book like this, I think. However, it is possible not to write a true story, but just an interesting novel that would take place in our area, in the 90s. I have already seen and heard a lot, I think it could well become a kind of Moldavian "Godfather".
E.C.: And last but not least. What message would you give to humanity here and now? What idea would you like to convey? You from today, who has already been through a lot?
R.C.: Only love in the broadest sense of the word can save this world. We all need to be kinder to others, not only to our fellow human beings but also to strangers. One should not only declare humanity, but also be humane. This applies both to states in general and to individuals in particular. More humanity will make us happier.
And what I want to say is - believe in your dream, go for it consistently and persistently, maybe the road will be short and maybe it will be long, but do not give up, have faith and your dream will come true.
If you go through the tunnel, sooner or later light will still appear, but only if you keep going.
