“The monarchy has a big problem reaching new generations”

Historical novel finds its place in your hands again Pilar Eyre (Barcelona, ​​1951). Writer and journalist publishes with Editorial Planeta From love and wara study An ode to love in its different versions finds a place to be created in post-war times The author says “to escape from drama and hold on to something”. The book manages to find a balance between both premises, transporting the reader to a historical context where maturity is achieved in record time and memory becomes man’s worst enemy. The author is presenting this work at the Literature Evenings held at the Maestral restaurant on November 10, starting from 20.30.

This book has a very distinct political intensity, even though its backbone is focused on love. How did you realize this duality between love and war?

The truth is that historical context is important in this book. The end of the civil war, the exile to France, and the Spanish participation in the Second World War are topics that are little discussed in the literature. Based on this foundation, I wanted to deal with the human stories of the characters who were exposed to these great historical events. It’s a very difficult thing to find a balance between the time frame and the personal stories, because if you put everything in the historical frame it eats up the personal stories and then it becomes uninteresting because it doesn’t move. If you ignore the historical context, the stories have no existence. Striking this balance is a great challenge for those of us who write historical novels.

One of the premises maintained throughout the play is the meticulous consideration of what is said about the leading actors.

I appreciate your observation. Above all, what caught my attention were the stories of brotherhood, solidarity and friendship that nourish the entire novel. I’m lucky to know both parties. By birth I am the heir of the side that won the civil war, but my conscience made me the heir of the other. Journalists know that objectivity does not exist, but with some knowledge of the facts we can try to talk about both sides. There are lights and shadows in all groups. Those shadows are inside the dome, those who hold the reins of these terrible massacres where they send generations of children to die without even knowing what they are fighting for, and yet all the victims are light to me.

Pilar Eyre’s new historical novel “Of Love and War” INFORMATION


In the novel, he talks about women as the real heroes of the post-war period.

I didn’t do this consciously, but when I finished the work, I realized that I had inadvertently reflected the huge role women played in exile. Since these works were generally written by men, they are a subject that is little discussed. In other books I have written, I have talked to many Spanish refugees, all now dead, and all of them telling me how they had to support their families. Perhaps women who led an active political life in Spain or were at the front, and then in France were assigned to clean hospitals, care for the elderly or scrub floors while their husbands plotted in the bar.

Looking at the backbone of the matter, is war a good time to fall in love?

It’s what keeps us alive. How do you overcome always thinking that maybe you won’t be alive the next day? For example, my father, one of the victors, spent the entire war in prison, sentenced to death in Barcelona Model and waited every day to be shot. I’ve always wondered how a 20-year-old could last three years under these conditions. When he died recently, I found a stack of letters in his office containing love poems he had sent to a girl before he met my mother. These were passionate love poems. This is what happens to the characters in the novel, they want to hold on to something, they get married out of desperation, and I think the only thing that saves us in extreme situations is love.

“By birth I am the heir of the side that won the civil war, but my conscience made me the heir of the other side.”

In the book, he defines true love as “that thing the poets talk about…”

Completely. My father wrote and painted very well, he was a very intelligent person, and at one point he had to choose between two things. From then on he was a well-known painter and portraitist. Moreover, when I was little and wrote love poems with words I didn’t even know what they meant, he was the first to believe in me and gave me a penny for every poem I wrote.

Someone who is in love with Pilar Eyre?

I am a passionate person. When I was five years old, I was already in love with a boy in my class. I remember his name, his surname and even what kind of person he was. I won’t say his name because he must be a quiet old person at home now and I don’t want to ruin his life.

How do you think a teenager like Leonor can handle the whole country having an opinion about the boy she likes?

Leonor is the heir to the crown and all information that comes out about her will be looked at with a magnifying glass and I do not believe that anyone has the freedom of expression to say whatever they want about the heir to the crown. . It is true that he is of age now, but I think he will be a very armored person. Knowing the behavior of the Royal House, I believe that no information about his life will be revealed. The video of the Columbus Day reception will be the last we’ll see on this subject.

Promotional photo of Pilar Eyre INFORMATION


Is Leonor the person who can attract young people to the monarchy who do not feel represented by the Royal Household?

This is the biggest challenge facing the monarchy. We won’t be there anymore when he rules, so they must make new generations interested in him and the Royal House. This will be achieved not by limited official ceremonies, but by sharing the interests of young people: environmentalism, animal welfare, globalization… There are many issues that attract the attention of new generations and I cannot see them at the moment. That Leonor still cares about them. A certain segment of the society may like the fact that he attends official events flawlessly or wears his uniform beautifully, but the majority does not remain silent on these issues.

“I don’t think it’s free speech to say whatever you want about the heir to the crown.”

Many young people also emphasize the need for consultation on the monarchy.

I think it won’t hurt. If it could be done, it would be good to know public opinion. In any case, let me tell you, even though I’m not a monarchist, I don’t know how the fact that there are no kings would improve our lives. I don’t know if young people will have more jobs, better access to housing, or benefit from higher pensions. I also believe that there is currently no very strong desire to abolish the monarchy. I believe that currently no party carries this openly in its program. Maybe in Juan Carlos’ time, when the monarchy had deteriorated so much, if someone had taken the initiative, this could have been done.

The thing that could damage the image of the monarchy the most is if the emeritus had to leave the country. Do you think he’ll come back?

He has said many times that he will not return. In all his communications he always says he will stay in Abu Dhabi and in fact his tax residency is there, so I see it as quite impossible for him to return to Spain. He will continue to come to visit, but not to stay and live.

Source: Informacion

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