Sapkowski about the women in the witcher saga:
Question: Seeing the “triangle” which Geralt-Yennefer-Ciri form, I could not avoid seeing in them the sketch of the “traditional Western family.” Had you already a preconception of a pseudofamilial development for these characters or did the idea emerge little by little?
Andrzej Sapkowski: The first thing I did was to fight against the stereotype. To present the typical hero who seeks a reward, who saves the world, the World Trade Center, Tel Aviv, who has all the women which he wants. I have altered the myth, this is a hero which says “Don’t fuck with me, don’t bother me anymore.” To place this hero in front of different situations, such as with a woman which also departs from the stereotypes, could be very harsh, but also very interesting.
Cherchez la fêmme!
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Question: Sex and women seem to play a big role for the witcher.
Andrzej Sapkowski: Sex and women are important for everyone. There is no good literature without the »Cherchez la femme«leitmotif, it's a crucial part of storytelling. Only by having relationships with the opposite sex - motivated either by sexual attraction, by affection, confrontation or by contrast - a literary hero can fully evolve and grow.
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Question: Permit us to do a rapid round of questions. Tell me the first thing that comes to mind when we say…
[...]
- Triss Merigold:
Andrzej Sapkowski: Pretty and red-haired, but insecure
[...]
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Question: By refusing to surrender herself to ones looking to obtain a child of her, Ciri denies mankind the hope to survive upcoming Ice Age, and gives her personal answer to eternal question of 'common good' vs 'personal freedom'. Have you given your own personal considerations to this dilemma?
Andrzej Sapkowski: Not really. I found it just an interesting twist to the plot — some salt in the sweetness of expected happy end. Besides, I had to be credible: you can hardly expect such existential dilemmas from a teenage girl in stress.