Joan Manuel Serrat: "Mexico was a house that opened up when the doors of my own closed."

BarcelonaJoan Manuel Serrat became the star of the Guadalajara International Book Fair on Tuesday. Accompanied by Anna Guitart, commissioner of the Barcelona delegation, the singer-songwriter expressed his delight at attending the cultural event in a "magical" country with which he affirmed he maintains a "frank" relationship, as reported by ACN. "Mexico was a home that opened when the doors of my own closed," he said. He also took the opportunity to address his decision to leave the stage: "It doesn't mean I've retired; I simply decided one day that it was a good time to do so." "You can't have everything in life; something must be sacrificed," he added. A few minutes before the start of the press conference, dozens of people eagerly awaited the singer-songwriter, who was invited to the literary fair to participate in various events and receive an honorary doctorate. honorary causeSerrat arrived smiling, greeting the attendees, accompanied by Guitart, who had already announced days earlier that the artist was causing a "sensation" among the public expected to attend the fair. With a career spanning almost six decades, more than 32 albums, and songs in Catalan and Spanish, Serrat spoke about various aspects of his personal and professional life, beginning with his relationship with Mexico, a country with which he forged a close bond through what he described as a "forced exile." "Since then, whenever I've knocked on their doors, they've told me, 'You don't need to knock because they're always open,'" he affirmed. The musician described Mexico as a "surprising" country, also "difficult" at times, but always "everyday" when you "understand" its language. It was there that he was welcomed by the Taibo family. "I always felt happy and honored," he insisted. The artist was also clear that he had to participate in the FIL because "he wanted to." "If they hadn't invited me, I would have invited myself," he joked. Regarding the events he will participate in, he highlighted a dialogue with young people on Thursday, for which he said he had high expectations. "I assure you it will be fresh and fun, because they are fresh and fun. Being young is wonderful, but also temporary, and that's the first thing one must learn," he said.

An "ugly word"

The singer-songwriter She retired from performing in 2022 with the extensive tour The vice of singing, which closed at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona. Serrat insisted that withdrawal It's an "ugly word," and while he no longer tours or travels to sing, he has performed "very occasionally." "I left the stage because of the tours and the rigor with which they must be undertaken. I feel no greater longing than to travel the world sharing with people the intensity with which I have done so for sixty years," he explained. He reiterated that "you can't have everything in life" and that one should invest in what one believes is "necessary." Prior to his appearance at the FIL (Guadalajara International Book Fair), Serrat met with the writer Eduardo Mendoza and the President of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), Salvador Illa. It wasn't the first time they had met, and they wanted to repeat the experience in the context of the FIL, a good opportunity, according to the Catalan Government, to bring together two internationally renowned figures of Catalan culture.