Dolores Reyes is the author of novels with perspective feminist that gives a voice to women who suffer sexist violence and to families who still pray for their daughters to return home. Now his work ”Cometierra” comes to digital platforms in a series that will go on Amazon Prime, while his other books continue to be translated into other languages.
Reyes wrote stories and suddenly had a very clear idea that became a novel: ”It occurred to me that the memory or soul of people is transferred to the earth just as happens with skin, blood and bones. when we die.” The words he used to portray violence against women were adapted into French, Italian, English, Turkish and Polish, among other languages.
”Cometierra” (title of the book) stars a young woman who has the gift of seeing where missing women are. The character literally eat dirt and thus he can give answers to those who seek them: sometimes he encounters death, trafficking or another terrible fate. However, the young woman personifies the hope of the victims’ loved ones. In the continuation of the book, Cometierra (her character) confronts her own don and her friend Miseria de ella tries to convince her to resume the search for missing women.
Dolores Reyes, resident of Caseros, author of ”Cometierra” and ”Miseria”. Credits: Alejandra López.
The second book, titled ”Miseria”, continues to address the issue of gender violence and adds others such as sexual education, queer adolescence and hospital abuse. Dolores Reyes is interested in addressing these social issues and she said she was marked at an early age by the femicides of women like María Soledad Morales.
The author highlights: ”I feel that these stories are always told from the outside; with a strangeness and an enormous distance. What I do is focus on the characters and places like the popular neighborhoods of the Buenos Aires suburbs where it is common for girls to be mistreated. Remembering the publication of her book, she said that she approached the relatives of missing women who believed that her character was real and in a state of desperation, they asked her for help.
Before writing ”Cometierra” Reyes faced a personal crisis after having dedicated her life to raising her 7 children: ”I postponed everything. I lived on autopilot between working at home and raising my children. “I forgot about myself and what I liked to do.” In searching for her, she remembered that at 15 years old she loved the classes of a teacher who made them write stories. Thus, she attended the writer’s workshops Almada Jungle, whom he greatly admired. In that space, he began the creative process of ”Cometierra”.
Dolores explains that being a mother allows her to be in contact with the spark of youth that is transferred to her characters, who are the same age as her children and their friends. The author highlights that writing and being a mother is an enormous challenge. Regarding the role of women she stated: ”There are always very strong stereotypes of what women can and cannot do. Much more if they are mothers.”
Book ”Miseria” by Dolores Reyes, a resident of Caseros. Credits: Alejandra López.
The neighbor of Homemade He continues to sign contracts for the translation of his books. Last week a new translation of Misery was added: it will soon be available in Russian. Meanwhile, Reyes anxiously awaits the premiere of the Cometierra series in Amazon Prime.
The screen adaptation is directed by Daniel Burman and produced by The Mediapro Studio in conjunction with Burman Office (The Mediapro Studio), Exile Content Studio and Cimarrón (The Mediapro Studio). Filming began in October of last year in Mexico with a cast made up of Lilith Curiel, Max Peña, Iván Martínez, Roberto Aguilar, Arcelia Ramírez, Ruben Albarran and Mabel Cadena, among others.
Dolores stated: ”The cast has incredible actors like Juan Daniel García Trevino, a great actor that I had seen in ”I’m not here anymore”. Not in the wildest of my dreams would I have imagined that actors like Yalitza Aparicio “They would interpret an idea that arose in a writing workshop.”
Lilith Curiel is the protagonist of ”Cometierra” written by Dolores Reyes, a resident of Caseros. Credits: Amazon Prime.
Although the book takes place in the Buenos Aires suburbs, the adaptation to the screen faced a cultural challenge since it was recorded in Mexico. Dolores stated that the series is very advanced, but we have to wait for the official announcement from Amazon Prime. Additionally, it is anticipated that the series will have 7 episodes and will be accessible to everyone with subtitles available.
The author commented that she had been worried about who would play her characters, but when she met Lilith (the protagonist) she was excited and they hugged: ”It was an intimate and quite public moment because it was in the middle of the set with a lot of people around.’ ‘.
Dolores Reyes highlighted that her books brought her closer to daughters of femicides, sisters or friends of girls who were murdered by sexist violence, and relatives of missing women. Her narratives allow a more intimate connection with the reality that many families who are victims of these crimes go through.
