Publish or Perish in Spain

Foreign Policy: How would you describe the cultural and reading environment in Spain?

Javier Rioyo: The Spanish writer Mariano José de Larra once said that writing in Spain meant shedding tears. Later, during General Franco’s years, both reading and writing were subject to censorship. But readers’ thirst continued to increase. Now, in these fully democratic times, Spain is among the countries with the highest publishing activity in Europe, perhaps even too high, and reading is slowly gaining ground against the dominance of television, [in part, due to the] high quality of our writers.

FP: Among Spanish novelists and fiction writers, who are the most popular?

JR: One of the most successful authors is Arturo Pérez-Reverte, who combines high quality and the ability to reach a big readership, through such works as El capitán Alatriste ( Captain Alatriste ) and La reina del sur ( The Queen of the South ). Other, more literary authors that sell well include Javier Marías, Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, Javier Cercas, and Almudena Grandes. The most recent big success story — following Dan Brown’s footsteps — is that of Julia Navarro, who went from journalism to fiction [with such works as La hermandad de la Sábana Santa ( The Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud )]. And there is the isolated case of Carlos Ruiz Zafón [ La sombra del viento ( The Shadow of the Wind )], who will hopefully continue his work.

FP: Do the Spanish Civil War and Spain’s recent history still arouse interest?

JR: In the realm of fiction, the subject always attracted interest, beginning with Ernest Hemingway’s novels and short tales, for example. Finding reliable books from a historical point of view wasn’t as easy. Today, we are experiencing a genuine boom that includes serious scholars — such as Cercas’s Soldiers of Salamis — and some ideological manipulators who serve right-wing interests, including Pío Moa, who is reinventing Spanish history. We are still battling with the idea of "the two Spains."

FP: What can you say about former Prime Minister José María Aznar’s works? His latest, Retratos y perfiles: de Fraga a Bush ( Portraits and Profiles: From Fraga to Bush ) is one of the nonfiction top sellers of the moment.

JR: I don’t know what to say…. I mean, I do know what to say, but I would rather not say it. His books are as manipulative as Moa’s but, in his case, they are a document about himself, a celebration of his own dreams of becoming a caudillo. Fortunately, he is already in the past, even though he never seems to be totally gone.

FP: Is Don Quixote still being read?

JR: Four hundred years later, Don Quixote is a bestseller! It is the best proof that cultural marketing sometimes makes people buy the best novel of all time. It is a real pleasure. The only thing left is for people to actually read it.