“…an excellent writer”
The Daily Telegraph
“Kalder challenges us to see the beauty in
oblivion… ‘
The Los Angeles Times
“Daniel Kalder…deserves a medal”
The Times (London)
“Your writing sucks, and I'm not going anywhere”
Bashar al-Assad (hate mail received through my website)
Hello, my name is Daniel Kalder.
At the start of my literary career I described myself as an author, and I have written three books that were well received and which have been translated into numerous languages. A little later, I became a journalist and wrote for many publications around the world, from The Guardian to Esquire to Folha de Sao Paolo. I may yet write some more books and I still dabble in journalism, but these days I prefer to call myself a gentleman of letters.
Why gentleman of letters? Like many people I am increasingly uninterested in the output of corporate media and large publishers. I prefer to write exactly as I please for readers with discriminating taste. In this regard, my ideal is that of the 18th century gentleman farmer who in between tending his crops develops the idea of geological time after contemplating some rocks; or the naval administrator who translates Virgil’s eclogues for his own amusement and that of his friends.
My own interests are different, of course. I was born and raised in Scotland, and then lived in the former Soviet bloc for the better part of a decade. After that I moved to Texas, where I have lived ever since. My first two books combined reportage with black humor while the third was a history of dictator literature. I know a lot about Russian literature and the apocalypse, but I also like (in no particular order) voids, tall tales, half-forgotten things, half-remembered things, digressions, weird elisions and unexpected juxtapositions.
Thus Spake Daniel Kalder (TSDK) reflects all of these interests, and more. I write once or twice a month, and while I like to keep things unpredictable I do have a few recurring formats. These include:
Long form essays written exclusively for TSDK.
Freewheeling anthology pieces that include excerpts from articles I have written for different publications, plus reviews and un-categorizable short pieces.
Extracts from works in progress, such as Beach Bodies, an investigation into the true meaning of the beach (which is death).
Unwritten masterpieces: summaries of books I can’t be bothered to write.
Picture stories: in addition to being a gentleman of letters I am also a flaneur. These are surrealist photo essays in which each image is accompanied by a caption.
And more. Ultimately, what I think I provide is not just good writing, but a way of seeing. If that sounds intriguing, then I invite you to join my discerning band of readers. I promise never to bore you.
Thank you for reading! If you have some time, this interview provides a good introduction to my work.
