Martín Caparrós and journalism as a weapon to go out into the world

Martín Caparrós assumed these days that receiving an award for his career implies, in a certain way, being called old.

That is why he had the answer ready for the comment of the person calling him from Mexico.

"That they don't give you recognition doesn't rejuvenate you," he warns with the sarcasm that characterizes the 65-year-old Argentine journalist.

Thus, with a certain humor and "happy" despite everything, Caparrós, Martín, accepts the Professional Career Award that the Ortega y Gasset jury awards him this Wednesday.

A recognition that allows him to be part of a club of which he "is glad to be a member", as this furious fan of Boca celebrates, despite the misfortunes and of Argentina, almost despite the joys that being world champion gave him a few years ago. months, as he recounted in a correspondence with his friend Juan Villoro in this newspaper.

This new

allows Martín to also share a staff with another Argentine striker, Tomás Eloy Martínez, a teacher, later a friend, whom he followed when he was close to 10 years old and read

for the texts of Jacobo Timerman.

Over time, he found out that that magazine was almost completely rewritten by the editor, Martínez, "so basically I read him."

The jury highlighted that Martín embodies the figure of the "total journalist, one of the greatest exponents of the best Latin American chronicle."

With almost five decades of experience, he has traveled through Latin America, excuse me, America, but also Spain like few other reporters.

And despite the time that has elapsed, the comings and goings to the big cities and also to the most remote places, if something attracts attention, from the time you meet him in a Madrid restaurant to the last telephone conversation between oceans, it is the need and the desire to continue counting.

Martín also assures that it makes him happy that this newspaper is the one that has awarded him, since EL PAÍS is the newspaper with which he has had "the best relationship" in his life, despite the fact that he has written in almost all the possible ones in Spanish.

A relationship that he began as a reader, which he continued with a first installment in 1985 when he sent a chronicle about Egypt and incidentally an interview with Daniel Barenboim: the latter was published and incidentally not the chronicle.

A quasi-fidelity that has been maintained since 2011, when he began to publish regularly and that today persists with a chronicle of this world from the vision of a narrator in 2120;

of a game with words every two weeks or sending a text about the Argentine chaos, without notice, like the best surprises, for the America edition,

A reporter, journalist, writer, Caparrós is the author —a definition that usually encompasses his work— of monumental works such as

or the most recent

, a journey through a territory that few journalists know like.

A term, that of Americans, that will be remembered over time and that once again confirms his ability to make expressions last.

Last week, an Argentine colleague in the capital of Mexico recalled how difficult it is not to want to copy Martin's definition of "opposition government" to refer to a certain Argentine authority in power.

Despite the fact that his career cannot be understood without the street, Martín clarifies that it also occurred to someone in these five decades that they could lead projects or teams and he illustrates the circumstance with a correct definition of journalism: “One of those professions in which there is always someone who, when you do something well, makes you do something different”.

It is another, however, that best defines the profession for which he now receives this recognition.

For which he has been passionate for almost 50 years and to which, despite everything, he wants to continue dedicating his time: "I like journalism that gives a license to be a

, to see, find out things.

We live in a small, monotonous world, most professions don't open doors for you, they lock you up.

Journalism is a justification to go out into the world.”