Arturo Pérez Reverte at the Book Fair: a thousand people in one of the most anticipated talks

Arturo Pérez Reverte

shone at the

.

One of the most anticipated protagonists gave a keynote address in a very crowded José Hernández room, the largest of all in La Rural.

As Saturday night fell, the persistent drizzle did not prevent more than a

from waiting for patients for more than an hour outdoors -with hoods or under umbrellas- to enter the room and listen to the famous Spanish writer and former journalist , who was in Buenos Aires to present his recent book

, published by Alfaguara.

The talk, which lasted exactly

, was moderated by the journalist

, who is united by a deep friendship of more than 30 years.

“As you know, with Jorge (Fernández Díaz) we are very close friends.

We are friends of those loyalties that sometimes do not need words”, exclaimed

at the beginning of the conference.

“As you know, with Jorge (Fernández Díaz) we are very close friends.

We are friends of those loyalties that sometimes do not need words”, exclaimed Pérez Reverte at the beginning of the conference.

Photo Juano Tesone

As if it were a chat over coffee, and in the middle of a relaxed atmosphere, the friends talked about literature, politics and journalism in front of about a thousand people who witnessed a unique moment: they reviewed Revolución, the latest book by Pérez Reverte,

frontier

about the

at the beginning of the 20th century.

They also talked about

and

other previous novels that have not yet been presented in Argentina “because of the pandemic”, and other great works by the Spanish writer.

There was also no lack of anecdotes and humor on the great night on Saturday.

At the beginning, the author of the renowned trilogy

spoke about

, his latest novel: “This time, I wanted to tell a learning story: how a normal young man, not especially intelligent, not a reader, understands that violence can be a school of learning as useful as school, university, books.

For that, I gave the character part of my biography”, revealed the writer.

Revolution

is the recent adventure novel by

.

It tells the story of Martín Garrett Ortiz, a young Spanish mining engineer, three women, a treasure and the Mexican revolution in the times of Emiliano Zapata and Francisco Villa.

Revolution is the recent adventure novel by Pérez Reverte.

It tells the story of Martín Garrett Ortiz, a young Spanish mining engineer, three women, a treasure and the Mexican revolution in the times of Emiliano Zapata and Francisco Villa.

Photo Juano Tesone

According to

, the novel responds to each moment of his life.

“I left my house very young, with a library on my back and a backpack with books to see if the world was similar to the books I had read.

In this process, I discovered that war, travel, loneliness, failure, death, and violence are schools of life that are as useful, or even more so, than goodness, than the peaceful world in which I had been educated."

It is an initiation novel focused on the

for which the Spanish writer carried out a deep investigation to carry out his brand new work.

“I chose the Mexican Revolution because it was a good place in a historical moment in the world in which the word revolution still had connotations of hope.

Even words that were still in their infancy like communism, socialism, Marxism, fascism, National Socialism, had not yet shown their dark sides,” she said.

“It turns out that there was a world where violence was educational as well as horrible, especially when you get carried away by it.

So, I decided to give my character that learning: violence as learning, how a young person can discover the implacable rules that govern the world such as life, death, love, failure, loneliness, hopelessness or hope. ”, added the Spanish writer, born 71 years ago in Cartagena.

“The revolution was still a hope, but now we live the revolution out of rancor,” which is why it was a good time for the story he wanted to tell, argued

, who worked as a Spanish war correspondent for 21 years.

"At this moment, Western society is educating young people in a kind of goodism that has nothing to do with reality," he slipped.

Photo Juano Tesone

"At this moment, Western society is educating young people in a kind of goodism that has nothing to do with reality," he slipped.

“I do not intend to change the world but through my novels I tell how I see it.

It is a selfish act.

The world cannot be made better with a novel or with a thousand novels, except for Don Quixote”, remarked

​"Intrusive language

"

Fernández Díaz and Pérez Reverte

also spoke about various wars, the Malvinas War, Mussolini and fascism in Italy, which appears in their novel The Italian.

There was also no shortage of anecdotes: “I have a photographer friend who took photos of Arturo in Buenos Aires.

People greeted him on the street: It's Mick Jagger!"

told about his friend to the laughter of the public.

The 34,000 books and the 150 sabers that

keeps in his house were part of the talk.

“I have the gun that Falcó used.

It is linked to a literary, personal, sentimental question, and not for the pleasure of the weapon.

I don't like weapons, ”he clarified.

Lastly, he referred to

“I am a professional writer.

Language is my tool as for the mechanic it is the spanner or the screwdriver.

I cannot allow a cretin or an illiterate person, for political and non-linguistic reasons, to want to change my work tool in two days.

It is not about purism or grammar or ideology.

I object in self-defense."

Applause broke out in the José Hernández room.

After the talk, and to avoid crowds at the Penguin stand,

signed 200 copies in the room for those privileged people who had a ribbon on their wrists, hours before starting their return to Spain.

pc

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