The Leonese writers José María and Ana Merino will inaugurate the León Book Fair on the 16th. Both will present two ‘youthful’ titles: Ana her novel Planet Lasvi and the academic the reissue of the Mestizo Chronicles. The writer reveals the keys to an exciting interstellar story full of intrigue and adventure.
—What is ‘Planeta Lasvi’ about?
—The book talks about a girl who lives with her grandparents on a small planet with great ecological potential. They have been left alone because their parents have undertaken an expedition to decipher the meaning of time. Grandma builds her a robot so she doesn’t feel alone. A ship arrives at Lasvi with the last terrestrials. She realizes that she belongs to the group of pioneers, while those other children are descendants of those who suffered the disaster on Earth. It is a novel full of curiosity about our past and full of hope about our future.
—Is it true that the novel arises from a character in your novel ‘The Map of Affections’?
—Yes, it arises from the character of Adam, who is a boy who plays alone by launching rockets in the yard of his house when his father goes to look for him because a tornado is coming. That boy who invents a plot in which he is part of an expedition through the galaxy gave me the idea for this novel. It is fiction within fiction.
—It’s not just a science fiction book, there is a lot of intrigue…
—There is a lot of intrigue, because we want to know what happened to the parents and where the children are going, how they evolve in their life learning and what is in that last Earth ship, which gives clues to what happened. It is a very interesting novel to read and everyone can enjoy it. I like the collection The Three Ages, by Siruela, for its versatility of readers.
—Is the children’s audience more grateful?
—Young people, ages 12 and up, are more grateful. It is like The little Princewhich is a book that is enjoyed at any age.
—Do you remember what books had an impact on you as a child?
—Many books marked me, like The Neverending Story, Momo, Heidi, Pippi Langstrump, Little Red Riding Hood in Manhattan, Treasure Island , Celia’s books… and also comics (in Iowa I taught Comics History).
—Does someone who doesn’t read when they are little not read when they grow up?
—We have a responsibility with reading. In childhood and adolescence it is key in consolidating the brain, so that it learns to think logically and recognize emotions. If you don’t teach a child to brush their teeth, they will surely have oral problems when they grow up. Well, the same goes for brain health, which absolutely requires reading. Screens don’t give you the same stimulus. It is essential to give children health through reading. A child who does not read can reengage when he or she grows up, but in a society where there are schools, where there are bookstores and libraries, reading is a right.
—You are going to inaugurate the León Book Fair with your father, what do you have in mind?
-I will present Planet Lasvi and my father Mestizo Chronicles , his three youth novels about the conquest of America. I will speak from the interstellar future of science fiction and the impact it can have on the reading imagination.
—Are you critical of your books?
—I have grown up having the honor and privilege of being able to read his manuscripts and he is also one of the first to read what I write. I will always be grateful to my father who is a superb writer.
—Do you think we are headed for a destiny like ‘Planet Lasvi’?
—Let’s hope we don’t have to leave the planet. Speculative literature helps you reflect on where we are from and where we are going. I hope that new generations have the ability to take care of the planet and make it a better place. There is an ecological commitment in this novel.
—Isn’t it difficult for you to change your register from poetry to children’s literature?
—I have always had the ability to change register, of the realist Friend, an essay about Joaquín Amigo, one of Lorca’s friends, to children’s books; I have done poetry, narrative and children’s theater. I remember a happy childhood reading. That allows me to empathize with new readers. Love for others and care for the Earth are themes that appear in all my work. Redemption is set in a dystopian world. I think that commitment to literature is in any of my records.
—What do you think that your friend Luis Mateo Díez is the Cervantes Prize winner?
—Wonderful, superb. It is a great joy. It is a universe in which we identify ourselves, that Lion full of literature, magic, orality and dreams, which needs to be recognized.
—Will your father be the next Cervantes?
-Hopefully! That is never known. For me, my father is a magnificent writer.
