On October 4, 2003, the Argentine newspaper
Clarín,
the most widely read in Latin America, put the first issue of
Revista
Ñ
on newsstands , a leap towards the independence of its traditional Culture and Nation section.
This Saturday, November 26, 2022, the 1,000th edition will hit the streets.
We are facing an epic.
When the printed press discusses the withdrawal and culture fights for a space on the internet,
Revista Ñ
appeals to the weapons of yesteryear: texts worked for a mass audience that wants to be up-to-date on matters as varied as literature, cinema, theater, music or plastic
Ñ
's survival
says a lot about Argentines and their pleasure in ink and paper.
There are almost no cultural magazines left in the region —
Arcadia,
for example, disappeared in 2020—, and if
Ñ
is still there it is because of its readers.
Number 1,000 was presented last week in Madrid, at the Eñe Culture Festival held at the Instituto Cervantes.
It was a preview of what will be seen this Saturday in the shop windows of Buenos Aires: a special edition of 160 pages and square spine with a selection of the most representative authors and coverage of the last 20 years.
The list is long and varied: Richard Ford, César Aira, Tom Wolf, Beatriz Sarlo, Harold Bloom, Julio Le Parc, Samanta Schweblin, Fogwill, Enrique Vila-Matas or Mario Vargas Llosa, to name just a few.
Since that first issue in 2003, a lot of water has passed under the bridge, but the imprint remains.
"From the beginning it was a broad cultural magazine, with all cultural expressions, not just literary ones," says Ricardo Kirschbaum, general editor of
Clarín.
“The basic idea, which we sometimes succeed and sometimes don't, is that it's not a product that excludes from the start or is too hermetic for a common reader to say 'this is not for me,'” he explains.
Presentation of number 1,000 of 'Revista Ñ' at the Eñe Festival in Madrid.
Participating (from left to right) were the general editor of 'Clarín', Ricardo Kirschbaum;
the writer Rosa Montero;
the writer Martín Caparrós;
the general editor of 'Ñ' Matilde Sánchez, and the journalist Juan Cruz ./ Courtesy Diario Clarín
That is why
Ñ
is not just a literary magazine.
"What we always sought was to have an exhaustive sweep of the entire cultural field," says Matilde Sánchez, writer and director of the publication since 2014.
"Ñ
always contained among its pages a critical compass, not just informative, selection and curatorship of the best offer of visual arts and performing arts.
Cinema, classical music, rock and the entire panorama of art exhibitions are in
Revista Ñ.
The largest number of pages are not dedicated to the narrative, but to the landscape of ideas, ”she explains.
The strategy was to satisfy an avid reader for essays, characteristic of a society that is in a permanent state of self-analysis.
Héctor Pavón, deputy director of
Ñ,
says that the search for “authorized voices” reached its peak in the 1970s, when cultural magazines were the platform for the most heated discussions.
“Argentine essayism has a long tradition and this motivated the authors of literature to join these debates.
It is normal for a poet or storyteller to write essays on culture, politics or other issues.
There are times when there is little debate, there are times when it is a boiling pot ”, he says.
Today, the pot is about to burst.
The Argentine seeks explanations for his perpetual crisis and it is then that he challenges those names that he considers have something to say.
Ñ
covers
have had some important milestones.
On June 18, 2005, the magazine published a special edition to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the death of Carlos Gardel, which sold 120,000 copies, a record for a cultural publication.
In 2012,
Ñ
dedicated a number to the revival of
blues
.
Eight years later, it reflected another resurgence, that of local meals as a refuge during the lockdown due to the covid-19 pandemic.
In this 1,000th issue, the magazine offers an extensive tour of many of those full-spectrum stations.
In the meantime, look to the future.
Clarin
's decision
it is keeping the paper format alive and, above all, trusting in the commitment of Argentines to cultural consumption.
"Culture is an area in which Argentine society is still integrated, despite the economic deterioration," says Kirschbaum.
"That's why
Ñ
is here and survives."
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