Vargas Llosa / Nobel Prize
A true gentleman of letters
Juan Cruz
To THE NATION Sunday October 10, 2010 the rheum of topics. The
of "Conversations in the Cathedral" seems to have no remedy, but the rheum of the topics may be worn away. Hopefully.
That, of rheum, talk later. Now allow me hosting the pages of the NATION, which gives her teaching Mario biweekly, for a brief tour of our editorial autobiography.
that hike is justified here since it was thanks to Argentina, precisely, born Vargas Llosa's relationship with the editorial to which I linked (and I'm still bound by the feelings of memory), the Alfaguara publishing house.
Back then, around 1993, Vargas Llosa published in English and other editors had done, for reasons not related to his books, a long trip through Argentina. When I called back to the hotel I used to stay in Madrid, the Hotel Palace. That was the hotel of Octavio Paz and Carlos Fuentes, and Philip Roth, by the way, and was the favorite hotel of Susan Sontag. Well, there remained the author of The City and the Dogs.
then I could not guess the reason for the call, then Mario used to call their friends to "chismiar", as he says, no other reason than to extend friendship, constantly renewed by him and his wife, Patricia, on the basis of loyalty I've always been exciting.
What I wanted then was Mario Vargas Llosa communicate would not mind to start negotiations for all his work came to end up in the editorial that I represented in Spain. Sure, I had a reader, like so many, reading the books of Mario, was very young teacher who was so impressive buildings like the two books I mentioned and was also the author of The Green House, and War doomsday.
Before a proposal and a young editor (then, still young editor, and also first-editor) has to start trembling. And I did. But I wanted to know why he had made that decision honored us both. Mario Vargas Llosa
, I knew when I became its editor, not a maniac pursuing shelves or windows to ensure they are or how their books. But it has a reasonable concern about the dissemination of his work, so this time it adds a maniac but healthy-obsession to avoid the errors, both in his books and in his columns, reviews and searches like a typo they were going to cut off the hand or the jugular.
Then Vargas Llosa was really pleased with something that had lived in Argentina and I had to do with Alfaguara. He had been in Mendoza, Cordoba, Rosario, and in Buenos Aires, and everywhere he had seen that our books were very well distributed. He so charmed him, thought he had to be in an editorial that had that power distribution and is capable of reaching the most remote places taking such good books, which are the salt of life.
His decision was spoken by him with Carmen Balcells, and we had to move us tab, start that negotiation was not only of intentions but should always be substantiated in very complicated deals in the world of the early skirmishes publishers.
was difficult because these things are not only the will but with the contracts, but was easy because Mario Vargas Llosa had already shown interest in having us "a long and fruitful marriage." It has been, began then. I remember the great Carmen Balcells lying in her bed huge numbers studying Palace Hotel and establishing conditions that ultimately were reflected, with the most and least common in this type of contract, contract to put black on white wishes Mario and our own obligations as editors of all his work.
then that relationship has been very fruitful. Indeed, we have published new books, we have reprinted old and have lived the experience of editing a true gentleman of letters, a simple man fair living by literature but not pull you over the head of literature that you find out its value. That
English experience has been equal to the houses in the rest Alfaguara English-speaking world, from going into a book of his in the publishing, and once the contracts pass the sieve Balcells, Vargas Llosa became a companion in the editing, with those above and those below, and the environment is respectful and straightforward, their demands are sensible, such as himself, and his account of our work (and now on the work of those who remain his editors) dominates over the question, doubt, that arbitrariness.
So working with him, like friendship with him is an extraordinary experience.
And that's where I turn to the crusting of the topic of which I spoke at first. The day Vargas Llosa was awarded the Nobel in Stockholm was in Madrid the film director Oliver Stone, probably in the Hotel Palace, to present his latest film in Spain. As we had just produced the verdict of the Swedish Academy, a reporter asked his opinion about the filmmaker Mario Vargas Llosa. Stone dropped his stone, is a writer whose work does not interest anyone. From there, the author of Wall Street was dispatched to the topics already constitute a rheum around the figure of Mario Vargas Llosa: conservative, arrogant ...
course, Oliver Stone does not need to read books by Mario Vargas Llosa, from the Feast of the Goat at the end of world war and this latest novel coming out now, The Celtic dream to sense the opposite of what you think. It is sufficient to explain what he knows his litany of topics as it is enough for many none of the Peruvian writer to refer to liberal economic positions of Mario Vargas Llosa to justify such a mess of cliches around.
As if Mario Vargas Llosa had no right to maintain, or modify, their own opinions, and write without those views or attitudes public necessarily have to interfere in the literary production that has earned this award and as much consideration as he lives in all countries where their work is known.
Vargas Llosa I asked when it was learned that the Swedish Academy said to justify the award, if the dropped phrase ("for his scathing images of individual resistance, revolt and defeat) would silence his critics , rather than his critics, but those willing to keep throwing invectives at him bleary of topics. He laughed and said: "He who has silenced me. And I think those critics who used topical against me will never be silenced. "And he laughed again.
Neither could assume that just at that moment, fed by the gummy that have distorted the figure of Mario Vargas Llosa, Oliver Stone was throwing the stone of a new stupidity . In short, let him with his films.
What I meant was that perhaps the trial of the Swedish Academy, in addition to the serene and deep reading of the essential work of Vargas Llosa, can cause not yet his books have come to enjoy one of literatures most solid, challenging and stimulating to have given the universe of the imagination in the twentieth century (and XXI).
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