After the celebration of Book Day with the organization of various fairs and events of a more or less literary nature in the towns, but not in Arrecife, we could talk, for once, about books, literature, and Lanzarote.
Lanzarote has a notable literary tradition, especially since the 20th century. Literature has been essential in constructing the island's image that we have. Is it possible to see Lanzarote with the same eyes after reading the works of Agustín Espinosa, Rafael Arozarena, or Félix Hormiga? After knowing the stories and novels of Ángel Guerra, Leandro Perdomo, or Pepe Betancort? After reading the poems of Manuel Padorno, Ángel Fernández Beneytez, or Iván Cabrera Cartaya? Would it be the same island if Ignacio Aldecoa or José Saramago had not found their refuge here?
However, literature in Lanzarote has barely been attended to by politics and the media in recent years, as if it were the poor sister of culture, with its evident budgetary reflection, informative attention, or, to give a more visual example, the attendance of politicians at literary events.
The picturesque and recent images of the Councilor for Education of the Cabildo in a warehouse among boxes of books "in a poor state of conservation, without inventory or cataloging" should make us reflect on the problem not only of managing the funds of the Cabildo's Publications Service, but also make us aware of the importance of this as a public service, of the need to provide it with adequate personnel and resources so that it can carry out its important functions effectively.
For years, the dean of writers of our island, Félix Hormiga, directed the publications service, and there is no doubt that he deserves recognition not only for his literary career, but also for the titanic work of editing hundreds of books and publications of undoubted interest and quality, although it seems, given the results, that he did not have too much institutional support, not to say disinterest in such an important work.
But beyond this last and worrying issue, in recent years in Lanzarote, quite a few literary events have been organized, although unequal in terms of their success, dissemination, and quality, which would be reflected in events such as the Lanzarote Poetry Festival of 2019. To point out that it is not a matter of ideologies, I think it would be necessary to congratulate the Councilors for Culture of Tías and Libraries of Teguise for the activities carried out in their municipalities linked to literature: Literary Thursdays, Reading Marathon, recovery of literary contests in Teguise; Poetic Spiral, Equinox Festival, I Festival of Canarian Letters in Tegoyo... in Tías.
Phenomena such as the creation of the association "Literary Island" bringing together publishers and booksellers fundamentally, represented small hopes for change in this regard with such resounding failures as the non-celebration of the Arrecife Book Fair in its latest editions. The most recent thing that has been done in Arrecife are some activities linked to the Culture of the Cabildo in collaboration with the Saramago Foundation (Conference by Irene Vallejo at the Cine Atlántida) or with the effort and personal commitment of our outstanding writers and cultural managers Lana Corujo (Verbena Festival) or Carlos Battaglini (Literature in Reverse).
The dissemination, involvement, and interest of the media and the financing of literary events and publications by most administrations continue to fail.
Collaboration between the different institutions is necessary to better use resources and offer a more interesting and complete program and service for citizens in terms of literature. Decisive support must be offered to publishers and booksellers, and especially to writers and readers. Provide adequate staff to the Culture departments of the Cabildo and town councils. In this sense, I must insist on the need for a Publications Service of the Cabildo that functions adequately with sufficient resources and personnel that should not be privatized.
Things cannot only be a matter of the special sensitivity of our representatives or of personal efforts and sacrifices for a noble cause, literature.
Our politicians, the media, must understand the importance of literature in our society and give it, consequently, its place to create a better society. Literature, among other purposes, contributes to shaping our personality, our critical thinking, knowing other worlds or even imaginary environments, and is one of the best refuges against the permanent difficulties of existence, of this difficult time that we have had to live.
