tiganeasca
Moderator
I have been meaning to post this for ages. The New York Times Book Review has long run a feature where they interview authors (used to be authors of "serious" literature but I guess they ran out and now they include all kinds of folks, some of whom even write books on occasion) and ask them questions taken from a larger stock set of questions. The "interview" is apparently conducted via e-mail. Sometimes, depending on who they are interviewing, the answers can even be interesting.
A while back (in July, to be precise), they interviewed Javier Marias. I thought his responses generally interesting, but one particular question/answer I found intriguing and thought worth posting here. It clearly doesn't relate solely to "Spanish" literature but to "national" literatures generally. But since the question was posed in the context of "Spanish literature," I thought I'd post it here:
"What books would you recommend to somebody who wants to learn more about Spanish literature?
A while back (in July, to be precise), they interviewed Javier Marias. I thought his responses generally interesting, but one particular question/answer I found intriguing and thought worth posting here. It clearly doesn't relate solely to "Spanish" literature but to "national" literatures generally. But since the question was posed in the context of "Spanish literature," I thought I'd post it here:
"What books would you recommend to somebody who wants to learn more about Spanish literature?
I do not much believe in national literatures. Important as it is, the language in which you write is secondary. There is no such thing as “Spanish literature.” In Spain there are great single authors, from Cervantes to Juan Benet, from Quevedo to García Lorca, from Jorge Manrique to Antonio Machado, from Lazarillo de Tormes to Valle-Inclán. But each is very different from the others. I myself feel much closer to many foreign authors than to many of my compatriots."
I find myself sympathetic to his point but in disagreement. National histories are so individual and unique, that it seems to me you can legitimately talk about a "Spanish" culture (and literature) or an "English" or "Russian" culture (and literature). In any event, for those interested in the entire (short) interview, you can find it here.
I find myself sympathetic to his point but in disagreement. National histories are so individual and unique, that it seems to me you can legitimately talk about a "Spanish" culture (and literature) or an "English" or "Russian" culture (and literature). In any event, for those interested in the entire (short) interview, you can find it here.
