Last year, on June 8, we interviewed Swedish author Sara Stridsberg. Sara was passing through the 
Chelsea Hotel retracing the life of Valerie Solanas, the author of SCUM Manifesto and shooter of Andy Warhol, for a book that she was writing. Each day, she would sit in the lobby for a couple of hours channeling Valerie and retyping the Manifesto.
Betinna, one of our neighbors, told us that Sara's book about Valerie is 
now available. A couple of Sara's friends recently stayed at the Chelsea and brought Betinna a copy of the book as a gift from the author. According to Betinna, the book has a chapter about the Chelsea. Now, if only we could find someone to translate for us.
Here's the interview.
What do you do?
I´m a writer and Malin Arnell is a visual artist. Right now we´re travelling in the footsteps of Valerie Solanas to celebrate her work.
Why did you choose to visit the Chelsea?
We´re staying at Chelsea hotel to retype her manifesto since she wrote it there 30 years ago.
Why did you choose to write a novel about Valerie Solanas?
The reason why I choose to write this novel about her is not clear to me. It started when I translated the manifesto into Swedish. I think that I was touched by the huge gap between the manifesto and her life, and also moved by the fundamental lack of connections with the "real" world in her life... All I wanted to do was to to talk to her... the bitchy brilliant baglady...
What is your favorite Chelsea Hotel story?
That must be Valerie writing her brilliant manifesto in the hotel and being a pain in everybody´s ass in the lobby. She taught us everything about not being "Daddy´s Girls", even if we still very much are Daddy´s Girls.
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