The writer Santiago García-Clairac publishes this month not one, but two youth books. Known for being the author of the fantasy trilogy The black army, Garcia-Clairac (Mont-de-Marsan, France. 1944) He has been a professor of Advertising at the Madrid Business Training Institute and taught Advertising Creativity classes at the CEADE University. Besides, has made the storyboards from several feature films, among which are The longest penalty in the world y The Suicide Club. In 2004, won the Cervantes Chico Prize. Co-creator of Festibook, Jut devenil Cross-Border Literature Festival, just published in Malian editor Maxi, Cream and Cinnamon y Booki's extraordinary travels. ¡Peter!, what I ask you about. GINÉS J. VERA
In Maxi, Cream and Cinnamon, we discover Maxi, a young man who likes adventures and reading. In fact, one of his favorite books is The little Prince. Tell us about this book that Maxi has such a fascination for..
The little prince is a character that fits very well with Maxi's philosophy of life., that's why I put it in your hands. You could almost say that The Little Prince is his teacher. Actually, It is a tribute to this character that I admire so much.. In fact, Last year I published a book called The Little Prince Went to War, that tells the last days of its author, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who died mysteriously, in the middle of World War II. In Maxi, Cream and Cinnamon, the little prince floats in the air. Maxi's good feelings are the representation of Saint-Exupéry's work. I am very glad that you asked me this question because, being an important detail, runs the risk of passing off as an unimportant anecdote.
One of the themes that this story addresses is the value of friendship and some stereotypes, above all, that of the appearance of the people. Do you think that the readers of this book will agree that appearances should not be trusted and that there are great secrets beneath the simplest appearance of things and people??
It is one of the best values in history. I think everyone hides some secret beneath their appearance.. It is another fact that in this adventure the characters show that they have hidden feelings: Maxi is afraid of a rat; Natalia, that seems shy, she reveals herself as a fighter when the time comes. The bookseller manifests herself as a disinterested person, willing to help strangers. And Cinnamon, she looks like a clueless dog, She plays her role as Celestina very well.. Incluso Lily, great friend of Maxi, she appears jealous, something that surprises Maxi. I think it's like life itself. We all allow ourselves to be seen in extreme situations.
Books are very present in Booki's extraordinary travels. ¡Peter!, Tell us about that importance from the title. I usually talk a lot about books in my works.. It's a recurring theme that always gives me new ideas..
Booki is going to give me the opportunity to travel to classic literary worlds, which helps me revisit them. And I hope that the readers too. The point is that, over time, I have discovered that children's and youth classics are known for the characters but not for the works. Almost all kids know Peter Pan from the Disney movie, but not because I read the book. And the same thing happens with Alice in Wonderland and others.. That's why I thought that taking a creative approach to these works could be a good way to promote reading since Booki's adventure is created to awaken the desire to know more about Peter Pan and his friends.. So, Booki's trips are not time travel, They are extraordinary journeys into the classic books of children's and youth literature..
Maxi, Cream and Cinnamon It is written and illustrated by you. In the case of 'The Extraordinary Travels of Booki. ¡Peter!’, The illustrations are by Óscar Herrero. Tell us about them and this collaboration in this four-handed adventure..
I had been wanting to collaborate with Óscar for a long time., so, when the opportunity arose, I didn't have time to propose it. And to him to accept. Oscar was the right one for this job., not only for its graphic quality, also for his love of children's and youth literature. Booki has a dimension of grandeur that Óscar has been able to give him and that is very suggestive. I think it has been a success to have him. Our collaboration was very fluid and we have both been very satisfied. Malian has made a very good edition that magnifies the illustrations.
