MOLESKINE ® LITERARIO

Gracias a "The Literary Saloon" me entero de esta entrevista a Javier Marías en Flavorwire en la que da una respuesta que le sorprendió al administrador de TLS, sobre por qué piensa que los lectores de EEUU no están familiarizados con la literatura española. Se sorprende el administrador de que mencione en la lista de grandes escritores españoles a Pérez Reverte. Lo que no sabe es que ese par son muy amigos. Nobleza obliga. Dice:

FP: Why do you think so many American readers are unfamiliar with Spanish literature?

JM: I suppose there are several reasons for that. The United States translates very few books, all in all, as literary production in English is enormous. On the other hand, during all the long years of Franco’s dictatorship, the Spanish literary output was not extraordinary, so there has been a long period of ignorance about my country. It is not easy to get accustomed to the existence of a country after so many years of forgetfulness, as it were. Also, because of geographical reasons, the United States has been more interested in the literature of South America, which seemed more attractive and exotic. Spain is — and always has been, despite our anomalies — a European country like most others. The country has more to do, in my opinion, with France, Italy, or even Great Britain than, say, with Mexico or Argentina. It is not easy for an American audience to see and accept that. Perhaps they still expect bullfighters and gypsies with knives in their stockings in most Spanish literary works. Nowadays, our literature is very varied and some authors are really worth reading: from the past La Regenta should be better known, and from the present Eduardo Mendoza, Juan Marsé, Arturo Pérez-Reverte, and Antonio Muñoz Molina should be better read.

Otra respuesta interesante es la que da sobre los cinco libros que se llevaría a una isla desierta. Dice:

FP: If you could have five books on a desert island — say, for example, Redonda — what would you bring and why?

JM: Five is very generous, as most people usually just allow one book on desert islands. To be sure, Shakespeare’s works, from which I have taken four or five titles for my novels and stories; Cervantes’ Don Quixote, because it is a very long, re-readable book, and also to be in touch with good Spanish; Sterne’s Tristram Shandy because it makes you laugh often and because it would help me recall my youth when I translated it into Spanish (I was about 25 then); T.S. Eliot’s poetry, as it is very good to be read aloud; Jorge Manrique’s Coplas a la Muerte de mi Padre because it is one of the most moving books of poetry I have ever read — or re-read.

Etiquetas: blogs, ee uu, españa, javier marias, NOTICIA, perez reverte

This entry was posted on 12.03.2009 at 1:31 p. m.. You can skip to the end and leave a response.