Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an art researcher (Ph.D.), curator, and lecturer specializing in Classical art, the study of Classical receptions in contemporary art, and curatorship, and published many academic studies in these fields. This is my second book. The first book (in Hebrew) dealt with curatorship in Israel.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The title is: “The Secrets of Classical Beauty: Exploring Greek Aesthetics in Art and Thought”
I have always been inquisitive about the meaning of classical beauty because the popular notion that the appearance of the statues with the straight nose attached to the forehead embodied physical beauty seemed wrong to me. I wanted to research and prove that classical beauty is spiritual and that the visual meaning of human appearance in Greek art differs from what is commonly thought.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I was very influenced by “Death in Venice” by Thomas Mann, and by “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde, and also by À Rebours by Joris-Karl Huysmans.
What are you working on now?
I am working on a novel influenced by the field in which I specialize – art and classical philosophy.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still trying to figure it out…
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be honest with yourself, and write according to your heart, not what you think should be presented to the public.
I suggest this because I know a writer who wrote (in a Facebook post) whose goal is to shock and disturb the readers, not to bring them pleasure and peace. I wrote to her in response that she has no control over what will disturb and shock the readers, and what may cause pleasure and peace in one will cause precisely the opposite in the other, and vice versa. Sometimes a problematic story may cause peace in a particular reader because his life was more difficult. The writer’s role is not to gauge and measure the readers’ suffering but to write what is in his thoughts and heart.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be true to yourself
What are you reading now?
“The bad girl” נט Mario Vargas Llosa
What’s next for you as a writer?
A novel inspired by classical art and philosophy
What is your favorite book of all time?
The Re Tent by Anita Diamant
Author Websites and Profiles
Nava Sevilla-Sadeh Website
Nava Sevilla-Sadeh Amazon Profile
Nava Sevilla-Sadeh’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile