Carmen Posadas: “These days, what an ‘influencer’ says has more credibility than what a Nobel Prize winner says.”

The author of literary achievements such as ‘Red Ribbon’, ‘Invitation to Murder’, ‘The Invisible Witness’ or ‘The Puppet Master’, among others, talks about his latest novel ‘License to Spy’. Literature lives in Spain, feminism, cultural investment, the role of the internet in literature, the challenge of artificial intelligence, fake news, the political situation and the premiere of her novel ‘Invitation to Murder’ on Netflix. Have you experienced Tanit Ibiza Congress and Awards?

I really enjoyed the experience, which are guilds that value the work of women in hospitality and catering, where they have a significant presence alongside writing. There were already female innkeepers, tavern keepers and others in the Bible, the same thing happens in ‘Don Quixote’. They have had this presence throughout history and there is a parallel between both professions. A great idea by Alicia Reina and Eva Ballarin.

Can you define the last one? novel ‘Permission to spy’?

I wanted to take a tour of the espionage world of men and women in human history, but it would be too long, so I focused on the female figure to highlight their roles. There is a spy museum in Berlin and on the front there is a sign that says “This is the oldest profession in the world”, even older than the professions we reference. Human beings have always needed knowledge because it is power. He needed to know what his enemies, and sometimes more dangerous friends, had been doing since the cave. Some of the spies who served in World War II were so secretive that it was not known what they were doing, even though they served their country more effectively than ten thousand men.

In her novel, she talks about women who influence world events and play a leading role in government intrigues. Do these women exist today?

Certainly. They change over time, but always have been, always will be, and now that we have two wars, the world of espionage is sadly more present than ever. Since ancient times and in almost all cultures, women have had a dominant role. The women I talk about in my book are known for other reasons, too: from the Biblical Rahab who collaborated to conquer the Promised Land to Mata Hari in World War I. A great queen, like Catherine de’ Medici, was a great spy with her flying fleet, like the less fortunate Mary Stuart. He was more stupid and it was precisely because of his lack of intelligence and knowledge that they cut off his head. Also Hilda Krüger, Malinche, Josephine Baker and others. All were known for other reasons, but were master spies, such as the poisoners of India or the Galician bard Balteira. There are countless examples. I managed to talk to an active spy, and although they didn’t talk, I was able to get him to tell me what their operation was like, what the price a woman had to pay, and what obligations and dangers it involved.

It is being considered writernovelist or narrator?

I define myself as a writer because I have written thirteen novels and fifteen children’s stories, as well as essays, film scripts and plays. I wrote everything, less poetry and science fiction, which I never liked.

Is today’s feminism a new women’s revolution or has it always existed?

Feminism is something new, it has been around for about a hundred years. I really don’t like the angry feminism that exists now, which thinks that all men are rapists and that women’s roles should be validated by stupid things like changing the names of the months, things that don’t help women at all. quite the opposite because the argument is so stupid that it works against them. But this nonsense allows governments to spend public money and propagate instead of worrying about the things that actually make a difference for women, like the glass ceiling, reconciliation, or equal pay. These issues are the important ones, the rest is nonsense. We women have to treat ourselves from a disease that is our own fault and that has shaped our lives.

It is his habit to write every day. Determined and methodical?

I am the laziest person on planet Earth. If it were up to me, I’d lie under a tree with wine all day long, but because I hate this terrible flaw, I exaggerate and have to do things that people who aren’t as lazy as me don’t do. I always say, I owe more to my flaws than my virtues, if it weren’t for them I wouldn’t have done even half of what I did.

What is your working method?

Every morning at quarter past eight, I sit in front of the computer, my back to the window so that nothing distracts me, I put a gun to my temple and forbid myself to get up until lunch. I am my own worst slave. My routine in the afternoons is to read books and accompany my grandchildren to visit or to the movies.

How do you encounter a blank screen or page?

Writing starts with writing, that’s the trick. It may seem real, but there’s a reason for that. Many people get stuck and don’t even start because they think what they’re writing is nonsense or not worth writing. That’s why it’s important to keep going, even if you don’t like what you’ve written. The topic idea is already in your head and you need to engage with it until it magically clicks. Then everything comes to life and you start creating.

You say that you don’t need to be a literature expert to write, you need to read a lot. How do you defend this?

You don’t have to be very smart or extraordinarily cultured to write; There are many successful and terrifying books. It often happens that very knowledgeable writers are trying to show how much they know and knock you down with data, battles and nonsense that is none of your business, but that writer wants to show how smart and cultured he is. It is necessary to have other qualities such as being a very curious person, constantly asking yourself questions, being a very good reader and being very determined, because writing is equivalent to a marathon, not a hundred meters of running.

Is the cultural transformation you often talk about a turning point in social media?

Before information culture came down from the top, Bertrand Russell or Jean-Paul Sartre would say something, and sooner or later it would spread to people less cultured than themselves. But now the situation is exactly the opposite. In social networks, everything is valued by the number of likes, and unfortunately it turns out that what an influencer says has more status than what a Nobel Prize winner says. It seems crazy but it’s the truth.

Role of the internet literature Did it happen as expected?

On the one hand, it has solved a lot of our lives when it comes to documenting ourselves, before this was a terrible task. These days I can walk into the United States Library of Congress and read anything, it’s just a click away and it’s endless. You should be careful not to echo hoax, fake news or inaccurate news. In this sense, it makes the job of writers and new writers much easier, because before it was very difficult to get out of the cycle of “they don’t publish because they don’t know me.”

Now there are novelists who publish novels on the Internet with great success, then publishers called them, and they have a large number of readers. Despite the intention to destroy the papers, the book resists strongly. How can this phenomenon be explained?

The book is an excellent item that has not been surpassed. It has been proven that children who study on tablets do not assimilate as much as children who study on paper. There was an explosion in the electronic book at first, we thought the book would disappear. Since the tablet weighs 40 grams and takes up little space, you have to carry it because the book is heavy and sometimes you don’t have it in your hand. space for storage. The tablet’s popularity has peaked, but more books are now being sold. The best sellers on the Internet are detective and romantic novels.

Is literature going through a good period in Spain?

This is an interesting moment in terms of quantity rather than quality. More books are being sold than ever before and there are more authors than ever before. Today’s editors are less demanding than in other times.

artificial intelligence Will literature, the way of writing and reading change?

We are facing a revolution, and all revolutions are bloody. We creators worry about its implementation, Hollywood screenwriters are on strike because it can be dispensed with by its use, and the same goes for cartoonists, music and other arts. They said that they would hold a music festival like Eurovision with music made with ChatGPT. I don’t know if it can be adapted into books, the challenge is to set a limit because that would take away a lot of jobs.

Is fake news part of the digital counterculture?

Yes, they are here to stay. The greatest paradox of modern life is that no country in human history has so many cultured and educated people. Although there is more culture than at other times, an overdose of information leads to the production of massive misinformation. It’s funny how people are willing to believe the most unexpected things. The number of flat earthers who think the world is flat is increasing every year!

Are literary awards necessary for fame and prestige today?

The internet is a tool or weapon that can be used for good or evil; rewards are important because they give you visibility against so many offers. They make you stand out and make fame easier.

Are you currently working on a new literary project?

I was born on Friday the 13th, I have no superstitions, but I only have one: I don’t want to talk about a book that doesn’t exist yet. However, it will go on sale this time next year.

Can Spain’s political moment be sustained?

The Spanish people are the most powerful people in the world; They have been trying to destroy themselves for years and have failed. No one will be able to destroy this great country as there is so much history behind it, but we are definitely seeing real horrors.

Do you have anything left to dream about?

I am interested in cinema. They released a movie based on my book ‘Invitation to Murder’ on Netflix, and I have four more books that will be turned into movies. This is fun and adds another aspect. I do not intervene. They consult me, but I save myself from a tantrum because they won’t listen to me and do what they want.