José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the former Spanish president presents a book about Borges and defends Cristina

“I was in Argentina fourteen days before the attack against Cristina Kirchner.

I was very shocked, perhaps because I had been here and because it seemed like a cold, deliberate act of violence in the eyes of the world.

I thought it was serious."

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero

, the former president elected twice in Spain (2004-2011), is in Buenos Aires to present his book I will not betray Borges on Monday, May 1 at 7:00 p.m. in the Carlos Gorostiza room of the Yellow

at the

It is an essay about the Argentine writer whom he admires, published in 2021 by Huso editorial in Spain and recently released here by October editorial.

The Spaniard expressed his support for the vice president regarding the attack she suffered last year, a fact that motivated him to participate in the book

, which will be presented this Sunday at 19 in the Tulio Halperín Donghi room, in La Rural.

"I will not betray Borges", the book by Rodríguez Zapatero.

Shows up on Monday.

E.G.M. Photos

The event, organized by the National Chamber of Deputies, will be attended by

Elizabeth Gómez Alcorta and Marco Enríquez Ominami, and will be moderated by Eduardo Valdez.

Strong rumors circulated about the possible presence of the vice president.

In an extensive and relaxed interview in which

participated with other media,

referred to the episode that the vice president suffered on September 1, 2022 at the door of her home, in Recoleta.

“I was concerned about the reaction I saw.

It was a cold reaction from politicians and public opinion.

From that day on I must confess that I did not follow Argentine politics very much.

I committed one of the worst sins according to Borges: I began to follow Argentine politics day by day.

You would not imagine to what extent I know even the members of the Copitos and all the journalists who fight on one side and on the other, ”he ironized.

Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner at the Puebla Group meeting with former Spanish president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, last March.

Photo Emmanuel Fernandez

“I say it in moderation: I cannot know the ins and outs of the judicial processes of Argentine politics, but I have seen two things that made me participate in that book prudently, introduce the book and make a reflection: one is that impartiality is

That representatives of the judicial sector were playing sports with a political rival so characteristic of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, no," said the 62-year-old former president and former leader of the PSOE.

“Two: believe it or not, I am also an expert on Lago Escondido.

That has worried me as well,” he said.

According to

, “there is a part that is almost half in the electoral result of the policy that completely disbelieves the judicial action, and this worries me.

I insist: I do not prejudge, but of course there must be a debate and reflection.

And when this point is reached, when I saw the attack I thought that – I say it with all the humility in the world –

”, he acknowledged.

He also ruled on the trial against Cristina Fernández for the National Highway cause.

“The sentence is not firm.

Beyond the facts, I insist: I believe that the appearance of impartiality is very important.

I do not enter into the yes or no tests: this is objective and objectifiable.

It worries me and I put it on the table ”.

“My experience and my sensitivity comes after the issue of Lula.

I met him because we had coincided as presidents.

Honestly, the last thing he thought was that he was a man interested in money ”.

"Some time later what happened with Lula turned out,"

said , referring to the trial against CFK for public works.

"It is a matter, an unruly matter, as Borges would say."

“The trial suffers from that serious problem of impartiality.

Impartiality must be extreme when it comes to a person who is in a political sentence, just as the politician must extreme his independence towards the judges, ”said

“In my eight years as president I have never spoken to any Supreme Court magistrate.

Not only did I not drink coffee nor did I go to play soccer.

This is very important because the forms give the being to things in democracy ”, he completed.

A large part of the interview was dedicated to talking about his essay that he will present on Monday, May 1 at 7:00 p.m. at the Fair.

admitted being from the left and almost an atheist, and that Borges is his only religion beyond the fact that the famous Argentine writer expressed his anti-Peronist position on more than one occasion.

Alifano, Zapatero, Vaccaro and Alaudin.

E.G.M. Photos

– How much of Borges is there in the life of Rodríguez Zapatero and how much of Zapatero is there in the life of Borges?

–Borges brought me closer to serenity in life and in many moments to happiness.

To serenity because reading

I understood how desperate immortality would be.

I assume finitude with intelligence, which is how Borges did it to us through a story.

Defining death as a dream without sleep seems to me that no one has composed such brilliant metaphors or used adjectives with such force as Borges.

The use of the verb to delay gave me a lot of serenity in life and even more so given the activity that I have had: how do you have to delay in things like what is not valued, recognized, re-read.

If you don't do that almost nothing ends up making sense.

–How did you get to Borges?

– Through a cousin.

At the age of 15 Borges told me: he gave me El Aleph, which I also consider the best story of his work.

The hot February morning.

I am fascinated by Beatriz Viterbo.

I love

: as I tried to contribute in my essay, for me it is a love story.

It is interpreted as the great Borgean fiction, as the space that contains all spaces, but how Borges' love for Beatriz Viterbo spills out or is decanted, that moment when he sees Beatriz's photo and says to her: “I I am, I am Borges”.

After having been president of Spain, he said that he would change everything to be a great writer.

Now you are a writer.

Has something changed?

-No.

I have fulfilled a kind of destiny but at some point so much passion for Borges had to generate something.

Writing this essay has made me immensely happy, it was my little tribute.

What more can we do in life than honor, recognize and consecrate who has made us happy?

It was a rather casual circumstance in a pandemic, speaking with a writer who coordinates the book collection of the Spanish publishing house.

I told him that we were in a bad moment and what could we do.

She told me: why don't you write something?

An essay about your favorite writer.

There I said, of course, it would have to be Borges because I am not going to betray Borges.

That's where the title came from.

I began to write with fear, and now that I am never going to return to the political contest I can be more honest: with fear because I thought that criticism was going to fall on me, that they were going to say that I am pretentious, nothing more and nothing less to do a little essay on Borges.

–What books would you suggest to start reading Borges?

The Aleph, without a doubt.

In my opinion, Emma Zunz is a seminal story.

Then, three or four poems: The Causes, the Poem of the gifts seems fantastic to me.

Nor is it easy to add so much beauty to the poem Chess.

Sometimes I have recommended that they start by listening to a lecture like

(1977).

The start seems brilliant to me: “I am blind, annoyingly blind, it is not complete: in one eye, yes, but in the other, no.

Therefore, I cannot boast of blindness."

Borges is from another dimension.

Therefore, all his political opinions seemed irrelevant to me.

–

is his other top work.

You wrote a prologue for Ficciones in 2001. How would you imagine that meeting with Borges?

–I imagined it on some occasion, I even dreamed it, this is very Borgean.

I was with American presidents, with Nobel Prize winners and Cervantes.

The only meeting in which she would express absolute devotion would be with Borges.

He would tell her that I am a devotee, the only faith in which I have come to militate in the background is your literature.

I would ask him, why such irredeemable Peronism?

I couldn't help it (laughs).

Do you think he's going to answer?

-You are going to tell me that they are incorrigible.

She once said it herself (laughs).

But it is true that over time I believe that Borges is unquestionably a patrimony for all of Argentina.

*José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero will participate in the presentation of the book “Objetivo Cristina.

The lawfare against democracy in Argentina", this Sunday, April 30, at 7:00 p.m., in the Tulio Halperín Donghi room, in the Yellow Pavilion.

*He will also present his book "I will not betray Borges", this Monday, May 1, at 7:00 p.m., in the Carlos Gorostiza room, in the Yellow Pavilion. 

pc

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