“Do you really want to know what a man thinks?” A conversation with the author of erotic novels Helmut Beckis

Why on earth did you decide to write a book from a man’s perspective?

We have a lot of opinions, but there are no opinion leaders behind many of them. Men have a problem. If you ask who is the patron saint of Latvian men – there is no one, and men don’t need one. If a man says to me, “Go there, do that,” I will tell him, “Go to the lonely sun.”

I was ready to have a conversation because white-skinned heterosexual men in Latvia are often vilified.

What exactly do you mean?

For example, if there is domestic violence. What do we automatically blame? Men. No dialogue is sought with men and their needs. No safe space to come together to understand and speak freely.

Is that why you wrote the book?

When I read some of the works, I thought, “Where can you find such freaks in the books?” Because I don’t know such heroes in my life.

For example, in Fifty Shades of Grey, he acted out clichés that a person couldn’t do. My hero could be real in real life – there are a lot of people like him on the street. He’s realistic. The same is true for every situation at work.