Andrei Hasn't Got Back to Me Yet

From: petercorless@mac.com
Subject: Razumijen
Date: May 31, 2006 4:03:02 PM PDT
To: andrei@codrescu.com

Andrei,

It has been many years since I saw you here in San Jose, California. Memories of your voice, and the reading of your words, and your movie Road Scholar have always touched me with their wry humor and biting intelligence. I've always thought about the world, or about America, in a different way after hearing your views of these places.

I've thought about you a great deal of recent because of the Katrina Hurricane. I am glad to see that you are well, and that you have had published New Orleans, Mon Amor. Bon chance!

I also kept thinking about your book A Hole in the Flag.

This last work still stays with me.

Inspired by you in part, and by many others, this June I will be going to Croatia, on my own first visit for a project called Razumijen, to understand what happened in Yugoslavia c. 1991 - 2001. While I am not a Slav, and have no family ties there, I have a friend, Jana Krezo. She is from Vukovar. For her, and for the people of the Balkans, whose tale is so little understood by Americans and by many around the world, I will do what I can to create works to remember and understand what happened.

To begin with, the project Razumijen is going to be a board game about being an Interested Citizen of the World during the Yugoslav crisis. As the nation shudders, if you play your cards right (quite literally) and cooperate with your fellow players, you might alleviate some suffering of the peoples of the Balkans. If you play your cards wrong, or if you are just unlucky, you can even exacerbate the problems for the people.

If successful, this project may put perspective on the issues of the Balkans, and also perhaps give the people playing it — young men and women, and their parents and educators — ideas on how we can use different strategies to solve other world crises in more cooperative, less-violent ways.

I also have a friend from Moldova, Tatiana Scutelnic, who now hopefully wonders if I will do a project about her country, too. Perhaps when I am done with this chapter I can look at the history of Moldova and Romania as the basis of a project. Something other than about Dracula at least. For now, I just wanted to say thank you for providing your inspiring insights into the world. You have in a way, in part, without knowing it, inspired and led me to this new adventure.

My travel plans take me to Croatia 5-12 June 2006. I'll then be off to the UK for more weeks until 1 July. Hopefully when I return I will have more insight into the Balkans to share with you and others. Let me know if you'd be curious to hear how it went.

Of course, I respect you as a busy writer and media professional and can understand if you read this and say, "Who is this guy?" and hit delete.

Hope you are having a good year and enjoyed the Memorial Day weekend.

Sincerely,

-Peter Corless.
petercorless@mac.com
650-906-3134
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