Sebastian Badarau

In addition to writing books, Sebastian Badarau also acts and directs for stage and film. You can see him in the BBC show ¨The Missing¨ (2014), as Adam Horvath in ¨De Ridder¨(2013-2017), as well as in numerous theatre productions, feature and short films. His latest project is radio-drama ¨The Uncertainty Principle¨which he wrote and directed himself and was broadcast by Radio Iasi, last year. It tells the story of three scientists who are on the verge of a major breakthrough in quantum mechanics but find themselves in conflict over what the discovery actually is. ¨TONGUES OF FIRE¨is about this extraordinary take on the theme of alien body invasion that I hadn't seen before in books nor movies. It is also the one that resonates with me the most, on a more personal level. Not that I, personally, have been invaded by aliens but I find it empowering and also deeply humane. It is also quite simple and logical if you spend a bit of time meditating on the world, Space and our role in the Universe. I think there is good literature out there, but you got to know where to find it. We may also have very different definitions of what a good book really is. My definition is somewhere in the essence of writing, which is tone and style, and not necessarily story. It is the art of story-telling more than the art of owning a good narrative. 'Brothers Karamazov' by Dostoyevski is a pretty mundane book, in terms of narrative, but the style is spectacular. Same for Hemingway, Dickens, Camus or Boris Vian. If it were simply for the story, Boris Vian would not pass the test. I also love science, particularly physics and mathematics. And also love art about science. You may wonder what theatre or performance has in common with science. But I think the answer is quite obvious. Both physics and art are direct pathways to investigating phenomena, whether it's the natural world or human behavior. Science asks the biggest questions: ¨who are we?¨, ¨where do we come from?¨ ¨what's the final goal?¨ Anyone who has worked in arts, know that artists are preoccupied by the exact same questions. I believe anyone who will delve a little bit deeper into both worlds may come to a comforting answer sooner than those who like to keep the two separated at arm's length.¨