Last October 27, the El Fondeadero Civic Center, in Puerto del Carmen, hosted the meeting Inventing the past to understand the present, in which Juan Gómez Bárcena conversed with Carlos Battaglini about his career and his way of understanding literature.
The author recalled a childhood surrounded by books and confessed that he wanted to be a writer even before he knew how to write. He also defended the importance of finding time for what we are passionate about and highlighted the value of writing grants and residencies, capable of opening new creative horizons. His stay in Hungary, for example, inspired one of his novels.
During the meeting, Gómez Bárcena explained the decision to narrate Kanada in the second person, a choice he considered essential to tell the experience of a character marked by trauma. He also spoke about Lo demás es aire, the book in which he feels he has come closest to what he wanted to achieve, and about the influence of authors such as Borges, Walter Benjamin, and Roberto Bolaño.
The conversation highlighted a central idea in his work: literature as a way of exploring memory, understanding the human experience, and imagining other ways of telling reality.
Next dates of FDLL26: Pola Oloixarac and Combustión Insular in Teguise
The IV Lanzarote Literature Festival, organized by the Picón Narrativas Cultural Association under the slogan "Letters of rofe and salt," continues its program on Thursday, November 5 with the Argentine writer Pola Oloixarac, one of the most outstanding voices in contemporary Latin American narrative.
On Saturday, November 7, and Sunday, November 8, the festival will arrive at the Convent of Santo Domingo de Teguise with Combustión insular. Literary conversations in Teguise, a meeting that will bring together Alicia Llarena, Julio Fajardo Herrero, and Acoidán Méndez, with the participation of Natacha G. Mendoza, to reflect on literature, memory, identity, and island territory.
All activities are free, with prior registration until capacity is reached. Program and reservations at www.fdll.es.
The festival has the support of the Tías City Council, the Publications Service of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, the Yaiza, Arrecife, and Teguise city councils, the Lanzarote Centers of Art, Culture, and Tourism (CACT), and Caja7, and with the collaboration of La Voz de Lanzarote and Escuela de Escritores.
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