Alejandro Pedregosa (1974) studied Hispanic Philology and Theory of Literature at the University of Granada. With his first novel, 'Broken landscape' (Slang, 2004) won the José Saramago Short Novel Award. Years later he published The owner of his story (Point of glasses, 2008), after which he begins a series of criminal novels, the first of them, A strange place to die (Editions B, 2010), takes place in Pamplona during the San Fermín festivities, while a bad step (Editions B, 2011) sets the action in Santiago de Compostela and on the famous Camino that bears his name. In full sun (Today's Topics, 2013) It is the third novel in the series and is set in the Indignados camp that took place in Puerta del Sol during the spring of 2011. He has also written five books of poems., highlighting The celestial lips (Pre-texts, 2007) with which he obtained the Arcipreste de Hita Award. He has also published the book of stories The Shadow of Caín (Watcher's Notebooks, 2013), where some of his collaborations with newspapers such as Ideal are collected, Hoy, On, The mail or The Basque newspaper. We interviewed him after publishing the novel Mediterranean Hotel (Planet, 2015).
Let's start by introducing the novel to readers, Is it perhaps a novel with secrets, silences and music to heal the wounds of the soul of those who go to the Mediterranean Hotel?
In a sense yes. The Hotel Mediterráneo is not exactly a Hotel but a shelter for women in danger of death due to sexist violence.. Its very nature of protection makes it a hidden and distant place.. But contrary to what it may seem, The life of the Hotel's inhabitants is quite calm and I would say even happy.… until a problem arises and that changes everything.
Meanwhile female character I want to highlight, beyond the protagonist, to the President, his sly humor and his “slightly obscene language” How well does it fit with them?, with the women of the Hotel Mediterráneo.
We assume that this is a novel where the characters are as important or more important than the plot itself.. The President, definitely, He is one of the most endearing and charismatic characters. Like the rest of the hotel's inhabitants, they have an unedifying past.. The President represents the complexity of emotions: Can you love a corrupt person??
The complex theme of abuse is palpable in the novel., sexist violence, what victims sometimes perceive about the situation they have to live with or without help.
Sexist violence is not the main theme of the novel but its presence functions as an axis that develops the action.. Let's say it's the character not present who harasses the others. On the other hand, machismo is a type of terrorism, and until the authorities and society put the same zeal into combating it as we do the rest of terrorism, we will not make any progress.. I don't remember that television in the eighties or nineties broadcast programs where the murders of ETA were praised.. Hoy, however, We have programs for teenagers where there is explicit machismo in all the speeches. It is not a matter of minutes of silence or political condemnations, it's about educating, and educate well and equally.
Despite the bucolic nature of the place, there is a nod at one point in the narrative to that need, certain dependence on the comforts and services of modern society, For example, a health center if you have small children.
(Risa). Yeah, In the last decade and enhanced by the crisis, there is a kind of enthusiasm to return to rural areas.. And it seems good to me, but I think that many urbanites have an idyllic vision of the countryside that does not correspond to reality. Rural life is not easy or comfortable. We often do not realize that our degree of socialization in the city is very high and we believe that it is normal. Not at all. If you are going to live in the countryside or a small town, it is advisable that you like silence and solitude.… but a lot.
There is a touch of humor that I think is very appropriate if a topic as serious as the one we have mentioned is being discussed., I don't know what legionnaire readers will think of that little thing with the goat.
Humor is present in all my novels regardless of the topic they deal with.. It's a way of understanding life. I think laughter (especially the one that laughs at ourselves) It is redemptive.. As for The Legion, I don't really know what to tell you., is is is; I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone., But everyone is free to bother with whatever they want.. That is one of the most practiced freedoms in Spain., freedom from anger.
Tell us about the songs that appear on Mediterranean Hotel as a soundtrack, of your choice, although to Tamara - at a certain point- think that Papier mache, be one “shit song”…We forgive him.
I wanted Serrat's songbook to appear in the novel for two very important reasons.. The first: I think he is the singer-songwriter who has sung the most and best about nature and the rural world.; and as we have already said, nature is important in this book. In second place, I think the characters in my novel (The President, For example) They are very similar to the characters in Serrat's songs. (The puppeteer, I work the Palmo, snowy, Lucia…); tend to transcend, to not be mere actors in a story. They aspire to stay and live in the memory of the people.
GINÉS VERA
