Two of the greatest living Spanish writers took to the stage at Hay today. Javier Cercas and Juan Gabriel Vasquez (pictured) introduced their new novels – The Impostor and The Shape of the Ruins respectively – in a conversation bordering on the existential that was both insightful and humorous.
Real people feature in both novels, and how we interpret, redefine and sometimes fabricate the past is a central theme. When asked how he created the characters in his book, one of whom has his name and is uncannily similar in some ways, Vasquez referred to Ernest Hemingway who said that answering that question would be like handing an instruction manual to those who wanted to sue him.
Both are frequently referred to as "writers of historical novels" which they absolutely are not, they stated. Rather, they use history to inform their work. "Novels about history are not historical novels," affirmed Vasquez. 'They are about how our collective past shapes our present lives."
Javier deliberately does not give the reader any answers, describing his books as "anti-detective" novels. "The answer is the book itself," he said. Vasquez added, "Since Cervantes in 1605, two opposite truths in a novel can be true."
If you liked this, you might enjoy 'Fictions: The New Generation', event 160 on Monday at 5.30pm.