“Kafka” is a new German-Austrian television series which centers on the life of Franz Kafka, widely regarded as a major figure in 20th-centrury literature. This is an interview with one of the series producers, David Schalko –– author, director and CEO of production company, Superfllm.
David Rabadi:
Hello, David. Thank you for taking time to speak with me. What inspired you to write and direct “Kafka’s”?
David Schalko:
Definitely the biographies by Rainer Stach. I hadn’t read anything like that before. Probably the best biographies ever written. And, of course, the life and work of Kafka. Both are extraordinary. I say “both” but, actually, it all belongs together as one.
David Rabadi:
Why is Franz Kafka so important?
David Schalko:
Because this kind of literature didn‘t exist before Kafka. There is a time before and a time after Kafka. Many of the most important writers of the 20th century wouldn‘t have been possible without Kafka.
David Rabadi:
If Franz Kafka were alive today, what do you think he would say about the series?
David Schalko:
He would hate it. The idea that anybody could reveal his private life would have been terrifying to him. He would be very irritated that we know so many details about his life.
David Rabadi:
What have you learned about yourself as a writer and director?
David Schalko:
Don‘t compromise. Keep your art unspoiled.
David Rabadi:
What do you think the entertainment industry lacks?
David Schalko:
Stick to your own way. Sounds like a cliche. But at the end of the day it is your profession that occupies your days.
David Rabadi:
If you could go back in time, what would you tell your teenage self?
David Schalko:
Everything I have lived through till now. So he could make his choices on a better basis.
David Rabadi:
Who in the entertainment industry has influenced your creativity?
David Schalko:
David Lynch, Lars von Trier, Jim Jarmusch, Nicolas Roeg, Jean-Luc Godard, Wim Wenders, Ingmar Bergman and many, many more. But none of those would consider himself as part of the entertainment industry.
David Rabadi:
What is something you always wanted to do but never had a chance to?
David Schalko:
Flying to the moon. But if I had the chance, I am not so sure I would do it. My creative identity has a lot to do with the things I have to imagine. It comes from a bored childhood. The idea of something is often more interesting than the reality. Especially in the case of the moon. Although it would be worth taking a look at the earth. And to feel the vastness and loneliness of the universe. But we’re already back in the realm of imagination.
David Rabadi:
What advice do you have for people struggling to make it in entertainment?
David Schalko:
Become a doctor or a mortician.
David Rabadi:
Thank you for your time. Any words of wisdom to all the readers?
David Schalko:
Ask me again in 20 years, please.