Music superstar Dua Lipa has gone where few pop stars have before, interviewing Polish writer and Nobel Prize laureate Olga Tokarczuk.
Lipa, who shot to global stardom on the back of hits such as ‘Blow Your Mind (Mwah),’ selected Tokarczuk’s novel ‘Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead’ as the January pick for her book club, featured on her lifestyle platform, Service95.
To complement the selection, the British pop star released a YouTube interview with Tokarczuk, which garnered over 50,000 views within a day of posting.
The 29-year-old singer revealed she was initially drawn to Tokarczuk's book by its evocative title, inspired by a William Blake poem, ‘Proverbs of Hell,’ and how, after reading, she became a devoted fan of the Polish author. Describing the novel, Lipa admitted it defies easy classification, making it challenging to explain to friends.
“I found it really hard to categorize it. You can read it as a whodunnit but there are more layers; there is philosophy, history and geography,” said Lipa.
During their conversation, Lipa and Tokarczuk discovered a mutual interest in astrology, a key element in the novel. For Tokarczuk, astrology represents a cultural phenomenon.
“Astrology is a wonderful ancient art that triggers intuition,” said the writer. Lipa, on the other hand, shared that she relies on her astrologer as part of her mental health practice.
“I don’t have a therapist, but I have an astrologist,” she remarked.
One of the core themes of ‘Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead’ is humanity's relationship with animals. Tokarczuk, a committed vegetarian, is outspoken in her opposition to hunting. Lipa expressed surprise upon learning from the novel that many Catholic priests in Poland endorse hunting, with some even celebrating it in their sermons.
Pascal recently demonstrated his continued admiration by posting a clip of himself reading ‘Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead’ on the beach, solidifying his status as a devoted reader of Tokarczuk’s works.
In 2023, the book also came in for praise from Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman, who said: “I love the way this fabulous Polish novel combines mystery, black comedy, politics and philosophy.”
To complement the selection, the British pop star released a YouTube interview with Tokarczuk, which garnered over 50,000 views within a day of posting.
The 29-year-old singer revealed she was initially drawn to Tokarczuk's book by its evocative title, inspired by a William Blake poem, ‘Proverbs of Hell,’ and how, after reading, she became a devoted fan of the Polish author. Describing the novel, Lipa admitted it defies easy classification, making it challenging to explain to friends.
“I found it really hard to categorize it. You can read it as a whodunnit but there are more layers; there is philosophy, history and geography,” said Lipa.
During their conversation, Lipa and Tokarczuk discovered a mutual interest in astrology, a key element in the novel. For Tokarczuk, astrology represents a cultural phenomenon.
“Astrology is a wonderful ancient art that triggers intuition,” said the writer. Lipa, on the other hand, shared that she relies on her astrologer as part of her mental health practice.
“I don’t have a therapist, but I have an astrologist,” she remarked.
One of the core themes of ‘Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead’ is humanity's relationship with animals. Tokarczuk, a committed vegetarian, is outspoken in her opposition to hunting. Lipa expressed surprise upon learning from the novel that many Catholic priests in Poland endorse hunting, with some even celebrating it in their sermons.
Dua Lipa isn’t the only high-profile fan of Tokarczuk. In November, Hollywood actor Pedro Pascal revealed to his Instagram followers that he turned to Tokarczuk’s works for emotional solace following Donald Trump’s re-election.Pedro Pascal at the beach in Mexico
— Pedro Pascal Daily (@pascalarchive) December 29, 2024
📹 laurenalexander | instagram stories pic.twitter.com/ITZD3OeMxk
Pascal recently demonstrated his continued admiration by posting a clip of himself reading ‘Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead’ on the beach, solidifying his status as a devoted reader of Tokarczuk’s works.
In 2023, the book also came in for praise from Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman, who said: “I love the way this fabulous Polish novel combines mystery, black comedy, politics and philosophy.”
The ‘Black Swan’ star later invited Tokarczuk to her online book club, where they discussed the book’s main character, Janina Duszejko, the author’s literary inspirations and her relationship with nature.
