The City of Earthly Desire - Available Now
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FRANCIS BERGER
WRITER - TRANSLATOR
ABOUT ME
Creative - I am an independent author working to make readers aware of my writing. Writing is the only creative pursuit I do well. I once attempted to learn to play the guitar, but that ended in abysmal, soul-crushing failure. I cannot sing to save my life, and whenever I dance I make everyone around me feel awkward. I wish I could master other arts like painting or playing the trombone, but when it comes to the artistic, I extremely one-sided. Thankfully, I feel am good at the one creative thing I can do. I have had a few short stories published and have also published a novel. I hope to publish more in the future, but I won't go and jump off a cliff in despair if I fail to do so.
Cheerful - I am a content person. My life has been and continues to be filled with countless blessings including my beautiful wife and my energetic young son who once watched a YouTube video about black holes and now fears he will somehow be sucked into one and become spaghettified once he crosses over the event horizon. My life has not always been fun or easy, but the rough parts have taught me much about myself and the world in general. Strangely, I have somehow managed to achieve nearly every goal I have set for myself, albeit not always within the timeframe nor the manifestation I originally envisioned. Nevertheless, there are still some goals I have not reached. I am working hard to attain these.
Brooding - Though I am jolly fellow at heart, I spend incredible amounts of time thinking about subjects and issues that drive others to drink or the psychologist. This is where I get most of my inspiration for my writing. Nietzsche says then when you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss gazes back at you. Well in my case, I wasn't the one gazing at the abyss. I didn't even know the abyss existed. The damn thing kept gazing at me, ignoring my polite non-verbal cues that it should break the fixation it had on me and turn its attention elsewhere. Alas, to no avail. The abyss kept staring. In the end, I had no choice but to stare back. Now the abyss and I are locked into somekind of existential staring contest.
What I respect and strive for - I strive to center my life around the tracendentalia of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness, and I am wary of those who have abandoned these virtues as pointless or trivial. My writing is an attempt to explore these virtues and, hopefully, celebrate them. I also love great stories and I aim to tell good stories.
Where I was born and other matters - My parents left Hungary to escape communism and provide a better life for themselves and their children. I was born in New York City, grew up in Oak Ridges, Ontario, Canada, was educated in Toronto and New York, bounced back and forth between the US, Canada, and Europe as an adult, and eventually ended up settling down in Hungary, the same country my parents escaped from before I was born. My reason for returning to Hungary? Simple. To provide a better life for myself and my family. I do believe that qualifies as irony, doesn't it?
How I feed myself and my family - I write well, but like most writers I currently live on the corner of Unknown and Oblivion; therefore, I cannot rely on my writing to buy the groceries or pay the bills. To keep myself and my family fed and warm, I work as an instructor and editor at a couple of universities. I also do freelance work as an interpreter and translator and run an English language service company here in Hungary. I have recently made a commitment to reach a wider readership, but I doubt my efforts will yield much. Regardless, wish me luck!
Cheerful - I am a content person. My life has been and continues to be filled with countless blessings including my beautiful wife and my energetic young son who once watched a YouTube video about black holes and now fears he will somehow be sucked into one and become spaghettified once he crosses over the event horizon. My life has not always been fun or easy, but the rough parts have taught me much about myself and the world in general. Strangely, I have somehow managed to achieve nearly every goal I have set for myself, albeit not always within the timeframe nor the manifestation I originally envisioned. Nevertheless, there are still some goals I have not reached. I am working hard to attain these.
Brooding - Though I am jolly fellow at heart, I spend incredible amounts of time thinking about subjects and issues that drive others to drink or the psychologist. This is where I get most of my inspiration for my writing. Nietzsche says then when you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss gazes back at you. Well in my case, I wasn't the one gazing at the abyss. I didn't even know the abyss existed. The damn thing kept gazing at me, ignoring my polite non-verbal cues that it should break the fixation it had on me and turn its attention elsewhere. Alas, to no avail. The abyss kept staring. In the end, I had no choice but to stare back. Now the abyss and I are locked into somekind of existential staring contest.
What I respect and strive for - I strive to center my life around the tracendentalia of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness, and I am wary of those who have abandoned these virtues as pointless or trivial. My writing is an attempt to explore these virtues and, hopefully, celebrate them. I also love great stories and I aim to tell good stories.
Where I was born and other matters - My parents left Hungary to escape communism and provide a better life for themselves and their children. I was born in New York City, grew up in Oak Ridges, Ontario, Canada, was educated in Toronto and New York, bounced back and forth between the US, Canada, and Europe as an adult, and eventually ended up settling down in Hungary, the same country my parents escaped from before I was born. My reason for returning to Hungary? Simple. To provide a better life for myself and my family. I do believe that qualifies as irony, doesn't it?
How I feed myself and my family - I write well, but like most writers I currently live on the corner of Unknown and Oblivion; therefore, I cannot rely on my writing to buy the groceries or pay the bills. To keep myself and my family fed and warm, I work as an instructor and editor at a couple of universities. I also do freelance work as an interpreter and translator and run an English language service company here in Hungary. I have recently made a commitment to reach a wider readership, but I doubt my efforts will yield much. Regardless, wish me luck!
WHAT YOU WILL FIND ON THIS SITE:
- Shameless, unabashed, unapologetic, and occasionally cringe-inducing self-promotion of my writing in My Work.
- I share my views about Truth, Beauty, and Goodness on my Blog. Blog posts may range from the insightful and occassionally profound to the poorly-argued and disparaging.
- If you would like to get in touch with me, you can find the information you need here.
Feel free to browse the posted information about The City of Earthly Desire. I will also post some of my shorter pieces from time-to-time and will keep the site updated with new works and publication dates as they become available.
I welcome comments and questions.
Thank you for visiting my site. I hope you decide to support my work, and I sincerely hope you enjoy reading it. I also hope you become a frequent guest of these pages.
I welcome comments and questions.
Thank you for visiting my site. I hope you decide to support my work, and I sincerely hope you enjoy reading it. I also hope you become a frequent guest of these pages.