"Lost in a cabin facing the Atlantic Ocean, I had a revelation"

BarcelonaWhen, almost a decade ago, Flavia Company (Buenos Aires, 1963) published Haru (Catedral, 2016), she managed to realize two of her dreams: "To tell the story of an entire life," that of a Japanese girl who began a long journey of learning by studying archery, and, equally or even more importantly, "to disappear into the text." Since then, Company has not published any novels or books of short stories under her own name: besides The carnivorous plant (Proa, 2021) and Regrets (Navona, 2023), Both written by Andrea Mayo, has been delving deeper into Haru's universe through several books:Magókoro (Cathedral, 2019) is the letter that Haru's father writes to his daughter one day, which we hadn't read in the first novel, I don't need to be real anymore. (Univers, 2020) explains a trip around the world narrated by Haru and Theory of the remainder (Comanegra, 2022) reflects on existence as a path towards reconciliation," explains Casa Abacus with a new contribution to the galaxy of the protagonist fresh out of the oven.

The nine books (Navona, 2025) draws "from magical, wisdom and oracular texts" such as the Bible, the Quran or the Bhagavad GitaTo tell the most ambitious story Haru has dared to write so far: "The common thread running through these nine books is a mythical, eternal, sacred, and visionary woman who travels through all time and across the earth, offering comfort and guidance." It begins with the protagonist appearing by a fountain, where two girls are filling a water jug. After an enigmatic exchange, the girls finally ask her who she is, and she replies, "How should I know, if I'm only seen from the outside?"

Finding Harmony

“I don’t know how I dared to write all these books,” admits Company, who, since creating Haru, has never stopped inhabiting her world. “Until I found Haru, I had written novels and short stories to find a space to live in: I didn’t feel comfortable in the world at all,” she continues. “When I came to Haru, I realized that, in this new space I had created, I could invite everyone.” Readers supported Company from very early on, and proof of this is that Haru It has already sold out nine editions in Catalan and thirteen in Spanish. "I receive messages almost every day, and sometimes readers surprise me by sending me a photo of a tattoo related to the novel," she admits.

How did such a unique "book of books" as the one Flavia Company is now presenting come about? "It all started during the pandemic, which led me to ask myself why all of this was happening in the world," she recalls. "Lost in a cabin facing the Atlantic, I had a revelation. I walked up and down a beach completely alone for hours every day. Near the sea were the carcasses of sea lions. Remains. I thought that if I died there, those birds would eat me, and that the first thing they would devour would be my eyes." During her stay in the cabin, that first revelation was accompanied by reading many religious and literary classics and hours and hours of meditation. From there, she began to unravel the thread. The nine books“I was working on everything at once, it was crazy, but all the narrative threads flowed in parallel,” she acknowledges. “The stories I tell invite you to become part of them,” she says. “That’s why I say they’re a place, a way of life, because everything has its harmony and explanation. A few days ago, I received a message from a very good reader who told me that, while reading my work, she cried a lot because she understood that I liked her stories. Fear.” Company adds that in The nine books "Light and darkness coexist": "Love is made of actions, and when it is lost, sadness and disappointment remain. Haru often confronts us with our miseries, but always ends up giving you comfort."