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Interview with Elia Barceló

El 13 de March de 2012 en Library, Literature, Spanish writers por | Sin comentarios

Elia Barceló: Literature is larger than life

Elia_Barcelo

 

Interview with Elia Barceló, held on the 13th of March 2012 in the Dámaso Alonso library, Instituto Cervantes Dublin, on the occasion of her participation in the round table discussion Poetry and fantastic literature: From Cortázar to Beckett, including Borges along the way”, with Harry Clifton and Bernardo Toro, in the Isla Festival 2012.

Elia Barceló (Alicante, Spain, 1957) has published crime, historical, science fiction and fantastic novels for adults, as well as young adult books and essays. In 2007, she received the Gabriel Award, a prize for the most important personalities in the fantastic genre in Spain. Her work has been translated into French, Italian, German, Catalan, English, Greek, Hungarian, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Croatian, Portuguese, Basque, Czech, Russian and Esperanto. Her novels translated into English are Corazón de tango (2007) (Heart of Tango, 2010) and El secreto del orfebre (2003) (The Goldsmith’s Secret, 2011). In 2013, she published the first two volumes of her trilogy Anima Mundi.

Carmen Sanjulián: —Elia, the literati say that you are a master of words. You wrote El almacén de las palabras terribles (The Storehouse of Terrible Words) but I think that you left the terrible words in that store and you remained with the beautiful ones.

Elia Barceló: —That’s one of my ideas. Probably because I live abroad, language, my language, is a fundamental thing for me. Words, in my view, are a real treasure. It is not speaking for the sake of speaking, it is something that I appreciate and try to recreate.

Carmen Sanjulián: —In your novels you always endeavor to dismantle stereotypes, those dealing with sex, with identity for example…you would be a good politician. 

Elia Barceló: —Never, never. Perhaps I could be a good friend to politicians for example, to be able to tell them of the atrocities that they are committing. But I would not be able be one myself. I am in favour of small groups that operate autonomously. If I thought that anarchism actually worked in reality, I would absolutely be an anarchist.

Carmen Sanjulián: —Science fiction, which is becoming increasingly popular, is still considered as a poor relation of literature. What is this due to? 

Elia Barceló: —There are many reasons. I suppose that a lot of people speak badly of science fiction without having ever read it. They have perhaps seen a couple of movies on TV, and with a bit of bad luck, they have seen the worst that science fiction has to offer. They see it as a mindless caprice.

I wrote 19 books and only three of them are science fiction, but I think that science fiction is one of the few genres that offers fresh themes. All other genres deal with the same concepts that literature broached two thousand years ago. Science fiction is the only one that breaks new ground. And surely, for many readers, this is something that scares them. Because it does require more work. When you approach a science fiction novel, it doesn’t offer its meaning immediately. You have to put in much work yourself.

Carmen Sanjulián: —Is there a symbiosis between the world of science and that of science fiction writers? 

Elia Barceló: —Yes. When I was young I was always struck by things we read that were then seen as fiction, issues such as the cloning of children for example; these type of problems are now very real. At the time, it was felt that these ideas were whims, nonsense that was invented by certain madmen. And so, I think it’s important that we as writers propose certain themes, ideas, that are yet to come. Literature makes us see the world in another way, with different eyes. And this why science fiction is a great challenge. There are of course many others that are equally so.

Carmen Sanjulián: —What then, if not science fiction, are the stories that we have left? 

Elia Barceló: —We, as human beings, are storytellers, this is fundamental. All human need to narrate. Each of us narrates our own story to ourselves. There are of course moments in which we know we are lying to ourselves, because we feel shame, because things seem less palatable. And other times, when you’ve already said something untrue four or five times, you’re not aware that are lying. You believe completely that it was as you said it. This is why I wrote the novel Disfraces terribles (Terrible Disguises), which deals precisely with this fact, someone who tries to write a biography of a great Argentine author and has the idea that by asking people who knew him, and reading his texts, the author could be recreated. But he comes to realise that memory itself is a creation.

Carmen Sanjulián: —If the inhabitants of Umbria could see the world that we live in today, not only in Europe, but particularly in Spain, what would they say? How would they react? 

Elia Barceló: —The poor inhabitants of Umbria are accustomed to everything because Umbria is a Spanish autonomous region created by four writers ten years ago in which anything is possible. The beauty of Umbria is that everything is normal. There are normal roads and airports and restaurants, but all its inhabitants know that strange things happen there which are never spoken about. Everything is known, but nothing is talked about. The people of Umbria would look at our world and say that things are just the way they are.

Carmen Sanjulián: —So far all your novels have been based in Umbria. Are you writing anything else situated in this fictional environment? 

Elia Barceló: —Not at this time, no. There were four of us originally and the only one who continued to write about it, besides myself, was César Mallorquí. The others left it, and this is why I am not sure whether it is really worth continuing to propagate this world. Now, the novel I’m writing takes place on this planet, but all over the place. It has something like twenty-five locations.

Carmen Sanjulián: —As science fiction is a genre that is not well known, some have used it at times to steal ideas. Has this ever happened with any of your books? 

Elia Barceló: —In my opinion it is a type of coincidence. I have never thought that others steal ideas from me. I believe that literature is ultimately a kind of pirate treasure chest, and when you open the lid there are so many beautiful things which you feel belong to no-one in particular, that they are for everybody. And you start to put on necklaces, earrings, such things, without thinking that perhaps they could belong to another person. I do not believe that some rob from others, it is not necessary.

Carmen Sanjulián: —You like to visit, to physically experience the places where your novels are situated. Once you even pursued someone to see what it feels like! 

Elia Barceló: —Yes… Usually everything goes fine, nothing strange happens. But at the initial moment, when someone asks you “Why are you staring at me?”, you tell them, “Look, I find you very interesting, because I’m writing a novel, and I have a character like you”. People then usually become very friendly and amiable.

Carmen Sanjulián: —One of your most recent experiences has been with tango. You put Corazón de Tango (Heart of Tango) in this fascinating world of the 1920s. After your visit to Buenos Aires, did it exert in you the same fascination? 

Elia Barceló: —One of the joys of literature in general is that it is larger than life. When a story is described in a literary sense, it touches you more, you appreciate more. One sees images that are much more powerful than when you were physically there. In fact I started to write Heart of Tango more or less precisely when I stopped dancing. The tango is a dance in which the man leads, decides, does it all. And my husband said once “Look darling, I have already started to tire of this tango”. This was surely because he understood the lyrics of the songs – he said “It is unbearable spend four or five hours listening to how someone complains because they have abandoned him.” As we stopped dancing, I started to write.

Carmen Sanjulián: —What is very clear is that you are a tremendously curious woman who enjoys experimenting and rummaging through many different fields. 

Elia Barceló: —Yes. Something that is very typical of me is that each novel I do is always something new. Both my publishers and my agent tell me “Listen, perhaps you could take an approach where your readers might know what to expect from you”. I have written criminal fiction, fantasy novels, gothic horror novels, realistic works, everything. What I’m doing now does not yet have a specific label. It is a kind of thriller. It is a trilogy, and it is enormous – there will be one thousand three hundred pages or so. It is a contemporary thriller, taking place in this world, in which there are a few fantastic elements that become increasingly stronger and more potent, with a surprising, unexpected finale. Well, I hope so! I hope that you read it and you enjoy it, is calledAnima Mundi.

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Recital literario “A dos voces”/ Literary Reading “In two voices”

El 13 de March de 2012 en Literature, Spanish writers por | Sin comentarios

Esta tarde, te invitamos al recital literario organizado por el Instituto Cervantes en colaboración con Poetry Ireland. A dos voces”  contará con la participación del poeta granadino  Antonio Praena y la poeta neerlandesa Judith Mok.

Antonio Praena se licenció en teología y desde el año 2000 es profesor agregado de la Facultad de Teología de Valencia. Obtuvo el Accésit del premio Adonáis de poesía en 2006 por su libro Poemas para mi hermana. Ha obtenido otros premios como el Accésit del Premio de Poesía Iberoamericana Víctor Jara por su poemario Humo verde (Salamanca, 2003) y el Premio Nacional de Poesía José Hierro (2011) de San Sebastián de los Reyes con la obra  Actos de Amor.

Judith Mok nació en los Países Bajos pero ha vivido la mayor parte de su vida fuera de su tierra natal, los 15 últimos años en Irlanda. Ha publicado tres novelas y cuatro libros de poemas, así como relatos cortos. Ha escrito además para radio y prensa. Sus relatos han sido preseleccionados dos veces para el Premio Francis McManus y su primera novela, The innocents at the Circus, para el Prix de l’Academie Française. Sus escritos han aparecido publicados en revistas literarias y antologías de ámbito nacional e internacional. Además de su faceta de escritora, Judith Mok ha recorrido escenarios de medio mundo como soprano lírica de talla internacional.

Os esperamos en el Café Literario.


This evening we have organized  a literary reading  together with Poetry Ireland. The literary recital is “In two voices”, composed by Antonio Praena, from Granada, and Judith Mok, from Netherlands.

Antonio Praena graduated in Theology and became a prior of the convent of Santa Cruz la Real in Granada. Since 2000 he also works as an assistant professor in the Faculty of Theology of Valencia. His collections of poem Poemas para mi hermana was awarded in 2006 the Premio Adonais de Poesía. Further awards he received were the Premio de Poesía Iberoamericana Víctor Jara for his poem bookHumo verde (Salamanca, 2003) and the National Poetry Prize José Hierro (2011) of San Sebastian de los Reyes with the play Actos de amor.

Judith Mok was born in the Netherlands and lived abroad for most of her life. Ireland has been her home for the last 15 years. She has published three novels and four books of poetry as well as short stories. She has written for Radio and Newspapers. Her short stories have been short listed twice for the Francis Mc Manus Award and her first novel, The innocents at the Circus, for the Prix de l’Academie Francaise. Her work has appeared nationally and internationally in literary magazines and Anthologies. Furthermore, Judith Mok travels the world working as an internationally acclaimed lyric soprano.

We hope to see you in the Café Literario.

Chile, un país de poetas

El 9 de March de 2012 en Latin American writers, Library, Literature por | Sin comentarios

Foto: Manu Diana

Pocos países pueden alardear de ser tierra de poetas como Chile.

Gabriela Mistral y Pablo Neruda, ganadores de sendos premios Nobel de Literatura, ambos poetas; Gonzalo Rojas y Nicanor Parra,  galardonados con el Premio Cervantes, son también poetas.

Pero Chile no solo es conocido por sus poetas. Para completar el repóquer de ases ahí está Jorge Edwards, novelista y también Premio Cervantes. Porque Chile también es conocido por ser la tierra de genios de la narrativa, como Isabel Allende o el magnífico Roberto Bolaño.

Otros autores como Luis Sepúlveda, autor de “Un viejo que leía novelas de amor”, Marcela Serrano, con obras como “El albergue de las mujeres tristes” o “Antigua vida mía” y Antonio Skármeta, con una prolífica carrera en la que destaca “Ardiente paciencia”, retrato libre de Pablo Neruda que inspiró la película “El cartero de Neruda” gozan desde hace años del favor del público.

La pasada semana, el Instituto Cervantes de Dublín, en cooperación con la Embajada de Chile en Irlanda, organizó la 2º Semana de Cine Chileno. En este evento se proyectaron varias películas, entre ellas “Promedio Rojo” del director Nicolás López y “El Chacotero Sentimental” de Cristián Galaz. Por todo ello, Chile es durante este mes de marzo el tema destacado en nuestra biblioteca, donde podéis encontrar numerosas obras de artistas chilenos.

Los amantes de la poesía pueden disfrutar de  una antología poética de Gabriela Mistral, de los “Cien sonetos de amor” de Pablo Neruda o de la “antipoesía” de Nicanor Parra.

Si lo que os gusta es la narrativa, podéis encontrar en nuestro catálogo  “Eva Luna” , “Hija de la fortuna” o “Paula” de la conocida escritora Isabel Allende; “Obsceno pájaro de la noche “  de  José Donoso, o “La casa de Dostoesvsky”, entre muchos otros títulos de Jorge Edwards.

Y para los cinéfilos,  “Taxi para 3” de Orlando Lübbert; “Los naúfragos”  y “La última Luna” de Miguel Littin; o bien “El chacotero sentimental” del ya mencionado Cristián Galaz. ¿A qué esperas?


There are not many countries that can show off  about being a land of poets as it happens with Chile. Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda, winners of the Nobel Literary Prize, both poets; or Gonzalo Rojas and Nicanor Parra, winners of the Cervantes Prize and also poets.

But Chile is not only known for its poets, but also because it´s the land of geniuses of narrative literature, like Isabel Allende or Roberto Bolaño. We can also mention other popular writers as for example, Luis Sepúlveda, author of novels such as “The Old Man who Read Love Stories”, Marcela Serrano, “Antigua and My Life Before”, Antonio Skarmeta, prolific author whose novel “Ardent Patience” it is a Pablo Neruda´s free portrait that inspired the movie “The Postman” or Jorge Edwards who combines successfully his career as a writer and as a journalist, he won the Cervantes Prize in 1999.

Last week Instituto Cervantes Dublin organized, in cooperation with the Embassy of Chile inDublin, the Second Week of Chilean Cinema. There were shown several movies like “Promedio rojo” by Nicolás López or “El chacotero sentimental” by Cristián Galaz.

You can find in the library numerous works by Chilean artists, these are some of the titles that are in our shelves:

For poetry lovers you can enjoy an anthology by Gabriela Mistral, you can read “Cien sonetos de amor” by Pablo Neruda or enjoy the “antipoetry” book by Nicanor Parra “Poetry and Anti-Poetry”.

If you want to enjoy narrative, you can find “Eva Luna”, “Hija de la Fortuna” or “Paula”, all by Isabel Allende, “Obsceno pájaro de la noche” by José Donoso or also “El anfitrión” by Jorge Edwards.

The movie-lovers will find “Taxi para 3”by Orlando Lübbert; “Los náufragos” and “La última luna” by Miguel Littin; or “El chacotero sentimental” by Cristián Galaz.

 

Novedades en la biblioteca / New to the Library: Marzo 2012

el sabor de la eñeLas novedades de la biblioteca pueden ser consultadas en nuestro catálogo en línea, como es habitual.

Para ello, seleccione ÚLTIMAS ADQUISICIONES , y elija el período de tiempo que le interesa, por ejemplo “los últimos 15 días” ,”el último mes”, o “los últimos tres meses”.

Ésta es nuestra selección para el mes de marzo  de 2012.

 


The lastest additions to the library catalogue can be consulted on line as usual.  

Click ÚLTIMAS ADQUISICIONES , then select “Dublin”, and choose the time period, for example, “the   past 15 days” , “the past month”, or “the 3 past months”.

This is our selection for March 2012.

Audiolibro: Leyendas de Bécquer / Audiobook : Legends by Bécquer

AudiolibrosHace años, la tradición oral era la forma en la que los mitos y las leyendas pasaban de generación en generación. Los mitos suelen ser historias relacionadas con dioses y héroes, y las leyendas son historias que hablan de elementos sobrenaturales pero localizados en un tiempo y en un lugar que resultan familiares para los miembros de una comunidad, lo que hace que todos podamos situarlas e identificarlas. En su transmisión boca a boca (o boca a oreja) a través del tiempo, las leyendas han experimentado a menudo modificaciones y transformaciones, creando así diferentes versiones.

 Poco queda hoy de esa tradición oral, pero, ¿sabes que son los audiolibros? pues sí, sería la forma más parecida de usar de nuevo esa tradición oral. Tú eliges el libro que quieres oír dentro de la gran selección que te ofrecemos en la biblioteca y…listo!. Pero, aprovechando que estamos hablando de leyendas…¿te animas con 25 leyendas que se contaban en diferentes puntos de España?. Leyendas de Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer es una de las obras más importantes del Romanticismo español. Con este audiolibro tienes la oportunidad de escuchar distintos relatos que se transmitieron oralmente en España desde la Edad Media hasta el siglo XIX, siglo en el que Bécquer las recopiló en su obra.

 Así que ya sabes, si no tienes mucho tiempo para leer, ya no tienes excusa. Simplemente tienes que ponerte unos auriculares, encender tu reproductor de audio y disfrutar de esas Leyendas, adentrándote en la “nueva tradición oral” que te transportará a diferentes ambientes de irrealidad y misterio siempre situados en una realidad cercana gracias a sus logradas descripciones.


Many years ago, oral tradition was the way in which myths and legends were told from generation to generation. Myths talk about gods and heroes, and legends are stories which talk about fantastic facts located in a particular time and in a particular place very well known for the members of a community. This allows people to situate and identify them in a particular place. By this “mouth to mouth” (or better known as “mouth to ear”) kind of transmission through time, legends often have suffered changes and modifications creating, in this way, new versions of them.

This oral tradition has almost disappeared nowadays but, do you know what an audiobook is? Yes, exactly, they are something very similar to the old oral tradition. Now you can choose the book you want to listen to in our library’s large selection and…just enjoy it! But, as we are talking about legends…why don’t you listen to some of the legends which were told in different places of the Spanish geography? Legends by Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer is one of the most important books from the Spanish Romanticism. With this audiobook, you have the chance to listen to very different kind of stories which were orally transmitted in Spain from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, which was the century when Bécquer compiled them.

Now it’s not an excuse if you don’t have too much time for reading. You just have to take your headsets, turn on your music player and enjoy these legends. You will enter the “new oral tradition” which will take you to fictitious and strange atmospheres, always located in a close reality thanks to an accurate description.

 

David Trueba: Autor del mes / Author of the month

El 6 de March de 2012 en Spanish writers por | Sin comentarios

Con la llegada de un nuevo mes, el Instituto Cervantes presenta al autor que será protagonista durante marzo. David Trueba, nacido en Madrid el 10 de septiembre de 1969, es licenciado en Ciencias de la Información, en la rama de Periodismo por la Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Además de periodista, David también es escritor y tiene una reconocida carrera en el mundo del cine; como director, guionista e incluso actor.

Especialmente relevante es su andadura cinematográfica. A pesar de las dos nominaciones a los Premios Goya por el largometraje La Buena Vida, su proyecto más ambicioso es Soldados de Salamina, una adaptación de la novela de Javier Cercas, cuya proyección podremos disfrutar durante el mes de marzo en el Instituto Cervantes. Además, David Trueba, fue vicepresidente de la Academia de Cine Español entre los años 2004 y 2007.

No queda todo ahí porque en su faceta como escritor podemos destacar tres novelas: Abierto toda la noche, Cuatro amigos y Saber perder. Todas están en nuestra biblioteca.

Una oportunidad para descubrir y disfrutar al polifacético artista español, que será autor del mes de marzo en el Instituto Cervantes.


With the arrival of a new month, the Instituto Cervantes presents a new author to be featured during March.

David Trueba, born in Madrid on September 1969, has a degree Journalism but he is also a writer and has a distinguished career in the world of cinema as a director, writer and even as an actor.

Particularly relevant is his film career. Despite the two Goya Award nominations for the film La buena vida (The Good Life), his most ambitious project is Soldiers of Salamis, an adaptation of the novel by Javier Cercas. Soldiers of Salamis will be screened during the month of March at the Instituto Cervantes inDublin. In addition, David Trueba, was vice president of the Spanish Film Academy between 2004 and 2007.

In his role as a writer we can highlight three novels: Abierto toda la noche (Open all night), Cuatro amigos (Four friends) and Saber perder (Know how to lose). All of them are in our library.

An opportunity to discover and enjoy this versatile Spanish artist, our author selected during the month of March.

 

Lectura poética / Literary Reading: Con otra voz / In a different voice

Mac GreevyLa incesante actividad cultural del Instituto Cervantes de Dublín nos trae hoy un encuentro poético a nuestro Café Literario, a las 6pm.

En otra voz pretende ser un homenaje a cuatro voces. Aquellas que los autores pusieron de su mano y letra y la de sus traductores. En un recital que une a Irlanda y a España, el castellano y el inglés, homenajeamos a Thomas MacGreevy y a Miguel Hernández con las voces de Luis Ingelmo (Palencia, 1970), que leerá poemas de MacGreevy en español y de Michael Smith (Dublín, 1942), que leerá poemas de Miguel Hernández en inglés.

El poeta irlandés Thomas MacGreevy (1893 – 1967) ha sido una figura importante en la historia de la literatura moderna irlandesa. Además de poeta, fue director del Museo Nacional de Irlanda desde 1950 hasta 1963.

Miguel Hernández Gilabert (Orihuela, 1920 – 1942) fue un poeta y dramaturgo de especial relevancia en la literatura española del siglo XX. Aunque tradicionalmente se le ha encuadrado en la generación del 36, mantuvo una mayor proximidad con la generación anterior hasta el punto de ser considerado por Dámaso Alonso como «genial epígono de la generación del 27».

+ info: http://www.miguelhernandezvirtual.es/new/
+ info: http://www.macgreevy.org/index.jsp


The non-stop cultural activity of Instituto Cervantes Dublin will bring us today a poetry reading at the Café Literario at 6pm.

In a different voice is conceived as a tribute in four voices. Those voices that authors and translators of their work created. It is a reading that brings Ireland and Spain, Spanish and English together. We pay tribute to Thomas MacGreevy Miguel Hernándezand Miguel Hernández with Luis Ingelmo’s voice, who will read poems by MacGreevy in Spanish and Michael’s Smith’s voice, who will read poems by Miguel Hernández in English.

The Irish poet Thomas MacGreevy (1893-1967) was a pivotal figure in the history of Irish modern literature. He was also director of the National Gallery of Ireland from 1950 to 1963. Luis Ingelmo, (Palencia, 1970) translator of English work into Spanish, will read some of his translations of MacGreevy´s poems into Spanish.

Miguel Hernández Gilabert (Orihuela, 1920-1942) was a renowned poet and playwright in the Spanish literature of the 20th century. Traditionally he is considered a member of the Generation of ‘36 although he was closer to the former generation to the extent that writer Dámaso Alonso referred to him as a shining example of the Generation of ‘27. The Irish poet Michael Smith (Dublin, 1932) has translated and published work by important classical authors; amongst them are Miguel Hernández’s works.

+ info: http://www.miguelhernandezvirtual.es/new/
+ info: http://www.macgreevy.org/index.jsp

75 años sin Unamuno / 75 years without Unamuno

El 17 de February de 2012 en Library, Literature, Spanish writers por | Sin comentarios

A lo largo de la historia han existido (y existirán) personas excepcionales que sobresalen del resto, esa clase de personas a las que podríamos denominar grandes genios . Pues bien , hace 75 años murió uno de estos grandes genios: un escritor que abarcó todos los estilos literarios; un profesor que llegó a ser rector de una de las universidades con más prestigio, la Universidad de Salamanca; un pensador que defendió la libertad y proclamó aquel famoso “viva la inteligencia” frente al fanático “viva la muerte”. Este hombre es Miguel de Unamuno.

Para hablar de Unamuno, hay que retroceder a una de las épocas más convulsas de la historia de España: estamos hablando  de la dictadura de Primo de Rivera, la proclamación de la II  República y el comienzo de la guerra civil española, o como Unamuno la llamo “la guerra incivil”. Perteneció a la “Generación del 98” junto con otros grandes escritores como Antonio Machado o Azorín.

Para estos días, se están organizando diversas actividades culturales y homenajes en España, sobretodo en Bilbao,  la ciudad en donde el nació, y en Salamanca, en su universidad. Aquí, en nuestra biblioteca, podemos disfrutar al menos de sus obras:

En narrativa, os recomendamos “Niebla”, escrita en 1907  donde  trata los puntos principales de su pensamiento filosófico, y nos hace cuestionarnos sobre nuestra existencia, tanto física como espiritual.

Si lo que os gusta es la poesía, en la biblioteca podéis encontrar:  Poemas de los pueblos de España, en donde dedica versos profundos a los pueblos y a los paisajes  españoles, o el El Cristo de Velázquez,  en donde  reflexiona sobre la figura de Cristo.

En teatro, es muy recomendable la lectura de su primera obra , La Esfinge,  Fedra,  basada en el mito griego, o Soledad, en donde trata el mundo del teatro , la política y la pérdida de un hijo.

Para cualquier otra obra, podéis consultar nuestro catálogo o preguntarnos en la biblioteca .

Ya sabéis que “Cuanto menos se lee, más daño hace lo que se lee”, decía don Miguel.


Since the beginning of times, there have always existed (and there will always exist) exceptional people who excel everyone. The kind of people who would be considered great geniuses. Well, one of those geniuses died 75 years ago: a writer who embraced all literary styles; a teacher who became Vice-Chancellor of one of the most prestigious universities, the University of Salamanca; and a philosopher who defended freedom and the “non dead intelligence”. This man was Miguel de Unamuno.

To talk about Unamuno, we  have to go back to one of the most turbulent times of the Spanish history; we are talking about the military dictatorship of Primo de Rivera, the proclamation of the II Republic,  and  the beginning of Spanish Civil War, or as Unamuno called  it ” an uncivil war”. He was member of “Generación del 98″, among some other great writers like Antonio Machado or Azorín.

During these days several cultural activities and tributes have been organized all around Spain, chiefly inBilbao, his city of birth, and at the University of Salamanca.  We are going to recommend you some of his works:

From his narrative texts, we recommend you “Niebla”,  written in 1907 where he talks about the most important aspects of his philosophical thinking.

If what you like is poetry you can find in the library: Poemas de los pueblos de España, where he dedicates deep verses to Spanish villages and sceneries about both their physical and spiritual qualities.

For theatre we recommend you his first work , La Esfinge; Fedra, based on the Greek legend; or Soledad , where he talks about the world of theatre, politics and the loss of a son.

For any other works, you can consult our catalogue or ask us at the library

“The less you read, the more dangerous is what you read” Miguel de Unamuno

San Valentín / Saint Valentine

Muchos estaremos pensando en ese admirador secreto que  nos sorprenderá con algún poema de amor, que nos cantará  la canción que sonaba ese día tan especial, o nos invitará a un cena romántica con velas…Mientras esperamos , en la biblioteca del Cervantes hemos seleccionado algunos poemas de amor y una letra de canción, y lo que os vamos a proponer  es que nos mandéis ese poema que tanto os hace suspirar,  la letra de alguna canción que cuando la escucháis hace que tu corazón lata a mil , o bien si las musas os acompañan ,podéis mandar vuestras creaciones.  Entre todos votaremos  la que más nos guste ¡Venga ,dejad que Cupido os lance su flecha!

Afán para separarme de tí de Pedro Salinas

Pense morir, sentí de cerca el frío de Pablo Neruda

Te quiero de Mario Benedetti

Rima XXVII de Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer

Rojitas las orejas de Adolfo Cabrales


Most of us are thinking of that secret admirer who will surprise us with a love poem, will sing  the song which played that special day, or will invite us to a romantic dinner with candles….While we look foward to it, here at the Cervantes Library we have chosen  some love poems and one lyric song . What we propose is that you send us that poem that makes you yearn or any lyric song which does your heart beat really fast  when you listen to it. And if muses inspire you, you can send your very own creation. Everybody will vote together and decide which one is the best .Come on, let Cupido throw his arrow!

Afán para separme de tí de Pedro Salinas

Pense morir, sentí de cerca el frío de Pablo Neruda

Te quiero de Mario Benedetti

Rima XXVII  de Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer

Rojitas las orejas de Adolfo Cabrales

Encuentros en la biblioteca / Meeting at the library : David Roas.

El 13 de February de 2012 en Library, Literature, Spanish writers por | Sin comentarios

En nuestra serie encuentros de biblioteca tuvimos la oportunidad de hablar con el escritor español David Roas. Es teórico de narrativa fantástica y combina las facetas de investigación y creación. Además, es profesor en la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, su ciudad natal.

Durante la entrevista, realizada por Patricia García, Roas nos muestra su visión de qué es lo fantástico; un mundo normal y cotidiano donde hay un momento en que irrumpe lo imposible.

También nos habla de la situación actual de la literatura fantástica en España y de algunas de sus inspiraciones para escribir. Especialmente importante ha sido su estancia en Perú, nos cuenta Roas, y el resultado fue un libro de cuentos ambientados en su totalidad en el país sudamericano.

Como experto en literatura fantástica pudimos escucharle, junto a Cristina Fernández Cubas en el coloquio “El cuento que vendrá” en el Instituto Cervantes de Dublín, reflexionar sobre el futuro de esta en España.

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In our series “Meetings at the library”, we had the chance to speak with the Spanish writer David Roas. He is a theorist in fantastic narrative who combines his work as a researcher and his literary career. In addition, he works as a teacher in Autonomous University of  Barcelona.

During the interview, that was made by Patricia García, Roas showed us his personal view of fantasy;  he sees it  as an ordinary and normal world in which suddenly something impossible bursts.

He also talked about the current situation of  Spanish Fantasy Literature and some of his inspirations to write. It was specially important to him his stay inPeruand as a result of this experience, he wrote a book of short stories, all of them located in this South American country.

As an expert in Fantasy  Literature we listened to him along  with Cristina Fernández Cubas in the talk “The story that will occur” held at  Instituto Cervantes Dublin, reflecting about the future of Fantasy Literature inSpain.

Miguel Hernández: Autor del mes / Author of the month

El 3 de February de 2012 en Library, Literature, Spanish music, Spanish writers por | Sin comentarios

Miguel Hernández recitando en la radio durante la Guerra Civil. Fundación Cultural Miguel Hernández

Miguel Hernández (1910-1942) forma parte de esa lista negra de insignes poetas y escritores a los que la Guerra Civil Española sesgó la vida y con ella una brillante trayectoria en la literatura. No hizo falta que se ejecutara su sentencia de muerte, la insalubridad de la cárcel de Alicante, a la que había sido confinado por su participación en el frente republicano, se lo llevó a los 32 años.

A pesar de su temprana muerte, su precocidad en las letras y su tenacidad incluso en las condiciones más duras nos han dejado un amplio repertorio de poemas y obras de teatro que os invitamos a conocer durante este mes en nuestra biblioteca. Es imprescindible hurgar también en la sección musical porque muchos autores han converitdo sus poemas en canciones: Joan Manuel Serrat, Víctor Jara, Enrique Morente, Camarón dela Isla, Extremoduro, etc. Además, el 20 de febrero el Café Literario será escenario de En otra voz: Homenaje a Thomas MacGreevy y Miguel Hernández.

Siendo vástago de familia humilde, la formación de Miguel Hernández fue prácticamente autodidacta como voraz lector de poesía clásica española. Una vez prendida en él la llama literaria, se hace asiduo de las tertulias de su Orihuela natal y en 1930 se traslada a Madrid, donde entra en contacto con los poetas de la generación del 27. En ese mismo año empiezan a publicarse sus obras, en cuya evolución intervienen el barroco, el surrealismo, los movimientos obreros, las penurias de la guerra, la cárcel… En ellas dejó plasmados su  humanidad, sus convencimientos ideológicos, su alto sentido de la justicia y su amor al pueblo. Como diría su amigo Pablo Neruda, “recordar a Miguel Hernández que desapareció en la oscuridad y recordarlo a plena luz, es un deber de España, un deber de amor”.


Miguel Hernández (1910-1942) is part of the black list of prominent writers and poets whose lives and brilliant literary careers were cut short by the Spanish Civil War. He was sentenced to death; however the insalubrious conditions in the prison of Alicante, where he had been confined to for his involvement in the republican front, took his life earlier at the age of 32.

In spite of passing away so young, his early interest for literature and tenacity even in the hardest times made him produce a wide range of poems and plays which we invite you to discover during this month at our library. We highly recommend to take a look also at the music section, as many of his poems have been converted into songs by famous singers: Joan Manuel Serrat, Víctor Jara, Enrique Morente, Camarón dela Isla, Extremoduro, etc. Furthermore, on February 20th we carry out at Café Literario the event In a different voice, a tribute to Miguel Hernández and Irish poet Thomas MacGreevy.

Coming from a humble family, Miguel Hernández was a self-taught who virtually got his education by avidly reading Spanish classical poetry. Once he was captivated by the books, he started to attend the literary circle of his home town, Orihuela, and in 1930 he moved to Madrid, where he got in contact with writers from the generation of 1927. His books started to be published on that same year and they’re influenced by Spanish baroque, surrealism, the labour movements, the hardships of war, the prison… His writings are a reflection of his humanity, his ideals, his high sense of justice and his love for the people. Quoting his friend Pablo Neruda, “it is a duty of Spain, a duty of love, to remember Miguel Hernández in broad daylight, as he disappeared in the dark”.

Adolescencia 2 / Adolescence 2

El 23 de January de 2012 en Literature, Spanish writers por | Sin comentarios

Adolescencia 2Adolescencia dos: poemas hormonados.

Presentación de libro

Hoy, a la 1 de la tarde, en el Café literario del Instituto Cervantes de Dublín

Adolescencia dos: poemas hormonados (Adolescence 2: hormonised poems) es una colección de poemas de amor alternativos publicado en inglés por la editorial Bradshaw Books.

(Seguir leyendo)


Adolescence 2: hormonised poems

Book launch

Today, 1pm at Instituto Cervantes Dublin.

Adolescence 2: hormonised poems is a collection of alternative love poems by Andalusian poet Manuel Arana.

(Read more)

Premio Cervantes 2011: Nicanor Parra, el maestro de la antipoesía / Cervantes Prize 2011: Nicanor Parra, master of antipoetry

El 21 de December de 2011 en Latin American writers, Literature por | Sin comentarios

El pasado 1 de diciembre se anunciaba el nombre del ganador del Premio Cervantes 2011, que este año recae merecidamente sobre Nicanor Parra.  El prestigioso premio de las letras hispanas, dotado con 125.000 euros, se otorga a los escritores “cuya obra haya contribuido a enriquecer de forma notable el patrimonio literario en lengua española.

Y éste es sin duda uno de los méritos que se pueden atribuir a Nicanor Parra, poeta chileno nacido en San Fabián de Allico en 1914, en el seno de una familia modesta. Con 21 años, mientras estudia en la Universidad de Chile, publica junto a sus compañeros Jorge Millas (escritor) y Carlos Pedraza (pintor) la Revista Nueva, y también su primer libro Cancionero sin nombre. Tras finalizar sus estudios se dedica a la docencia, en la especialidad de Física y Matemática.

En 1954 Parra publica la obra que revoluciona no solo su propio estilo, sino que crea un antes y un después en la forma de entender la poesía hispanoamericana. Poemas y antipoemas despierta la creatividad del prolífico autor chileno, que a partir de este momento desarrollará su antipoesía:  “una poesía a base de hechos y no de combinaciones o figuras literarias”.

Pero más allá de la antipoesía, Parra sigue innovando, jugando con el lenguaje e incorporándole elementos visuales para engendrar los “artefactos“: poemas, eslóganes, imágenes que se funden en una crítica a una cultura vacua y consumista, manteniendo así el espíritu subversivo que acompaña toda su obra.

Desde aquí os animamos a que conozcáis la obra de Nicanor Parra (podéis encontrar algunas de sus obras en la biblioteca). Para terminar, queremos transmitir nuestra enhorabuena a Nicanor Parra por este premio, considerado el nobel de las letras hispanas, y por supuesto, por haber cumplidos los objetivos de una vida:

Nicanor Parra

Biografía de Nicanor Parra, en http://www.nicanorparra.uchile.cl/


The last 1st December Nicanor Parra was announced as the winner of the Miguel de Cervantes Prize 2011. The famous prize of the Spanish literature is worth 125,000 Euro and is awarded to writers “whose work had contributed to remarkably enrich the literary heritage in Spanish.”

This is just one of the achievements that can be attributed to Nicanor Parra, a Chilean poet born in 1914 in a humble family in San Fabián de Allico. At age 21, while he was studying at the University of Chile, he published Revista Nueva together with the writer Jorge Millas and the painter Carlos Pedraza. The same year he published his first book, Cancionero sin nombre. After college, he started to work as a professor of Physics and Mathematics.

In 1954 Parra published a work which not only revolutionized his own style, but was also a milestone in Latin American poetry. Poemas y antipoemas stir up the creativity of this prolific author who, from that time on, started to develop his antipoetry: “a poetry based on acts, not on combinations or literary devices”.

But besides antipoetry, Parra continues innovating, playing with the language and adding visual elements in order to create the “artefacts “: poems, slogans and images melting into a criticism about our vacuous consumer society. The “artefacts” keep up the subversive style present in all his works.

We encourage you to read Nicanor Parra’s works (some titles are available in our library). Finally, we want to pass on our congratulations to Nicanor Parra for this prize, considered as the Nobel for Spanish literature, and of course, because he accomplished the objectives of a life:

(see image above)

Encuentros en la biblioteca / Meetings at the library: Alfonso Zapico

El 20 de December de 2011 en Spanish writers por | 1 comentario

En la serie de  “Encuentros digitales” entrevistamos al historietista  Alfonso Zapico, que nos presentó su trabajo Dublinés, una novela gráfica sobre la vida del escritor irlandés James Joyce.  Ganador del  premio autor revelación de 2010 en el Salón Internacional del Cómic de Barcelona, sus trabajos de cómic han sido publicados hasta la fecha en España, Francia, Bélgica, Suiza, Canadá y Polonia. Actualmente vive en Francia, donde trabaja en varios proyectos de cómic en la Maison des Auteurs de Angoulême.

Para la creación  de Dublinés, Alfonso nos cuenta que recorrió media Europa tras los pasos de Joyce, recopilando una amplia documentación, la cual ha sabido trasformar en  historia y expresarla a través de  viñetas. Una vida complicada plasmada a través de dibujos, creando complicidad entre el escritor y el lector, convirtiéndose este último en compañero de viajes del protagonista.

En su visita a Dublín (en Bloomsday, una fecha que todos los seguidores de Joyce saben que es especial), participó en dos actividades que organizamos en el Cervantes: un taller de guión de cómic, y una charla sobre Dublinés.


In the framework of our series “Meetings at the library” we interviewed strip cartoonist Alfonso Zapico, who made an introduction of his work Dublinés, a graphic novel about the Irish writer James Joyce. He was awarded at the 2010 Barcelona International Comic Fair in the category of best newcomer and his comic works have been published in Spain, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and Poland. At present he lives in France, where he develops several comic projects at the Maison des Auteurs de Angoulême.

For the creation of Dublinés, Alfonso told us that he travelled all over Europe in search of Joyce’s track, compiling a great amount of information, which he later converted into a story and expressed through frames. It depicts Joyce’s complicated life, creating a complicity between the author and the reader, who becomes the fellow traveler of the main character.

During his visit to Dublin (on Bloomsday, a special date for James Joyce fans), he took part in two activities organised by Instituto Cervantes: a workshop on comic scripting and a talk about Dublinés.

Audiolibro / Audiobook: “La hermana de Katia” (Andrés Barba)

El 19 de December de 2011 en Library, Literature, Online resources, Spanish writers por | Sin comentarios

Nuestra propuesta para estas fechas es una historia entrañable y optimista que saca a relucir valores muy representativos de la Navidad como la fraternidad y la inocencia, a través del personaje de la hermana de Katia.

La hermana de Katia, de la que el autor no revela el nombre, es una adolescente de 14 años que crece en un entorno poco ortodoxo como hija de una prostituta y hermana de una bailarina de striptease de un local madrileño. Ella es sin embargo la encarnación de la más pura inocencia y el más firme apoyo emocional para su familia en contra de los malsanos prejuicios sociales. Un personaje envuelto en un tierno lirismo que se gana la simpatía del lector o, en este caso, escuchante.

Su autor, Andrés Barba (Madrid, 1975), escribió esta novela con tan solo 26 años y se llevó con ella merecidamente el premio Heralde 2001. Una joven promesa entonces que no defraudó a los que apostaban por su porvenir y que cuenta hoy con una docena de títulos a sus espaldas. Entre ellos destacamos Ahora tocad música de baile, Versiones de Teresa (XVII Premio Torrente Ballester), La ceremonia del porno (XXXV Premio Anagrama de Ensayo) y su último trabajo Muerte de un caballo (Premio Juan March de novela breve 2011).

¿Qué aún no sabes cómo funciona el servicio de Audiolibros? Aquí te lo explicamos. Ya te puedes ir a pasear por el parque de la mano de La hermana de Katia.


For this holiday the library suggests an endearing and optimistic story depicting some Christmas values such as fraternity love and innocence, through the character of Katia’s sister.

Katia’s sister, whose name remains unmentioned by the author, is a 14 years old teenager raised in a non-conventional environment as the daughter of a prostitute and the sister of a strip dancer of a club inMadrid. Nevertheless, she is the embodiment of the most pure innocence and the strongest emotional support for her family against the sick prejudices of society. Her character is shrouded in a tender lyricism enabling to win the readers’ –listeners’ in this case- affection.

The author, Andrés Barba (Madrid, 1975) wrote this novel at the age of 26 and was deservedly awarded the Heralde Prize 2001. He was at that time a young promise and did not disappoint those who believed in his prospects, being today author of a dozen of books. Worth highlighting are Ahora tocad música de baile, Versiones de Teresa (17th Torrente Ballester Prize), La ceremonia del porno (35th Anagrama Essay Prize) and his last work Muerte de un caballo (Juan March Short Novel Prize 2011).

What? You still don’t know how to use the Audiobooks download service? Here you have detailed information. You can now go for a walk with Katia’s sister by the hand.

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Instituto Cervantes de Dublín

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