Andrew Brown’s Paper

Dalkey Writing

S.D. Chrostowka is a writer, teacher, and researcher who currently works at York University. She grew up in cold-war Poland. Solidarity was a common theme throughout her childhood. Silence was necessary during this time period. Censorship was apparent as all phone calls were monitored. This theme of solidarity is present in her novel “Permission.”

During the writing process of “Permission,” Chrostowka used her experience as a child to gather this sense of writer solidarity. Many people see this as a problem. On the contrary, it helps her eliminate distractions and really connect with the characters in her novel. Many writers find it productive to go out in public to get inspiration and find new ideas. Chrostowka finds comfort in being isolated from the outside world and feels she can be more involved to the specific story when she is alone.

If I had the opportunity to interview S.D. Chrosrowka, I would ask her a few questions about her unknown family life. Many aspects of her childhood have gone unanswered. I would question her relationship with her family and lack thereof with her childhood friends. How those relationships affected her writing style. I would also ask how she gets inspiration for her stories when she is in solidarity. It could be questioned how her writing career helped her be a teacher.

Novels:

  • Political uses of Utopia
  • MATCHES: A Light Book
  • Permission
  • Literature on Trial: The Emergence of Critical Discourse in Germany, Poland, and Russia, 1700-1800