Maria Kelbert

1. It’s hard for me to determine. I feel good among all nationalities.

2. Of course, with age, this order changes. I am at such a stage now.

3. For me, my family was the main factor of influence. One of my grandmothers was Greek, the other Macedonian. Both insisted on their ethnicity. My beloved grandfather had a Turkish ancestor, but he didn’t mention it. I was raised as a Bulgarian.

4. The tragic fairy tales with an inevitable happy ending are still close and recognizable to me. The plots of Dickens and Hector Malot too. Since I’ve been involved in music since I was a child, I don't see a connection between my musical preferences and my identity.

5. Muriel Spark, Françoise Sagan, Astrid Lindgren, Erskine Caldwell, Theodore Dreiser, William Faulkner

6. My identity has never been an obstacle for me.

7. I live in Germany - a multinational environment. I accept people as they are, but due to some peculiarities in character, I sometimes get into conflicts. I always find a common language with my partner based on mutual compromises. There are disagreements only on political issues.

8. I really miss the atmosphere of my hometown.

9. Everywhere and nowhere.

10. Everyone identifies with things that are familiar to him or her. If I knew the Bushmen or lived among them, I would probably feel like a Bushman. I think it is very important to read, observe, try to accept oneself as part of the world.

2021