The winner of this year’s ‘kresnik’ literary award for his second novel Jugoslavija, moja dežela (Yugoslavia, my country) spent most of his youth on the basketball court. Basketball has left an imprint on his literary career, too. After all, the main character of his novel Čefurji raus!, which won him his first ‘kresnik’ award, is a young basketball player by the name of Marko Đorđić.

“Sitting about in front of the apartment building is a national sport at Fužine (t/n: a district in the eastern part of Ljubljana known for its ethnical diversity)”, writes Vojnović in his first novel, which he also adapted for film and is due to hit the cinemas on October 3. But, as he explains to MMC, sitting around is also a part of basketball culture. “Actually, some of my greatest ‘sittings around’ took place right there, at the rocket in the middle of the basketball court at Fužine”, notes Vojnović.
Read the rest of the interview below.

In one of the past interviews, you said that while you had played basketball you hadn’t read a single book. Now that you write books – do you find the time for basketball, too?

You can always make time for the things you love. Nowadays, I watch basketball more often than I get a chance to play it, but I have time for both.

There’s a well-known saying, “Those who cannot do it themselves teach others”. Is this the case when it comes to your experience with basketball – only that it’s not about ‘teaching’ but writing?

You could say that I write, and I don’t pretend to think that I can or know how to play. Basketball is a complex sport, and even though basketball has always been a part of my life, I’m still just an amateur player.

A book or a ball in the hand – which of the two is a deadlier weapon?

The wrong book in the wrong hands can be more dangerous than any weapon. A number of wars were fought because of a handful of books, but only one war was started because of a ball.

To freshen up the memories: how did your basketball career begin?

I went to a practice in the school gym. And the rest is history.

How big were your dreams of a career in basketball when you were young?

I stopped dreaming of a big basketball career pretty early on. Before I even knew I could play in the NBA League one day.

Who would you include in you dream team? What would your role in it be?

Toni Kukoč, Michael Jordan, Dražen Petrović, Hakeem Olajuwon, Šarunas Jasikevičius. I’d be the one who hands them the towels.

Since people often seek things they can relate to in their role models – what are the qualities you look up to in your basketball role models?

Creativity, boldness, intrepidity and diversity.

How big of a fan are you now – as a former player?
The recent preparatory matches made me realize I cannot even stay calm during preparatory matches.

In your opinion, why haven’t Slovenian fans been able to create an atmosphere similar to the one the Macedonian team had at the EuroBasket 2011 match with Slovenia?

The atmosphere cannot be created artificially. Everything in its own time. After all, the arenas at the preparatory matches were pretty full, the tickets for Slovenian matches are sold out, and a lot of fans from abroad plan on visiting Slovenia. The championship is long and there will be plenty of matches, so the suspense will probably build with time and new victories.

To conclude: who are your favorites for this championship, and what can the Slovenian team achieve?

My favorites are the French, the Spanish and Lithuanians. Slovenia belongs to the group of about 10 teams capable of winning a medal. If we get a more or less fair trial and a bit of sports luck, we could win one.