Rocio Bonilla, l'autora catalana més traduïda: "Minimonio is my most beloved character and I owe him a lot."

Guadalajara (Mexico)It's hard to find a gap in Rocío Bonilla's (Badalona, ​​1970) schedule at the Guadalajara International Book Fair, between roundtables, workshops, and interviews with Mexican media. She even met behind closed doors with the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, this Monday morning. Thanks to her picture books, Bonilla has amassed tens of thousands of readers, and not long ago she surpassed Mercè Rodoreda as the most translated Catalan author. While Rodoreda's works have 226 translations, Bonilla's are about to reach 250.

You studied fine arts, but you didn't publish your first picture book until 2014. What's it like?

— On my first day at the art school, the head of studies greeted us with these words: "Welcome to the unemployment factory." After graduating, I worked for a while as a music teacher and muralist, until I entered the world of advertising. I started as a camera operator, then became a casting assistant, and finally a casting director for twelve years. I had my own studio at home.

What made you discover illustration?

— Shortly after my first daughter was born, I came into contact with the world of children's books. Julia and I went to the bookstore every week. I started drawing without any particular aim.

More arrived...

— Yes. I have three. The turning point came in 2011, when I got divorced, and a year later, my mother died. I was already over 40. "Mom, we always use you as an example of someone who has reinvented herself," my daughters tell me. First, I illustrated about ten educational books. But that wasn't enough. I wanted to open myself up to the world, so I signed up for a workshop with Ignasi Blanch in The girls' school From the Francesca Bonnemaison Space. That's where my first book came from. Sparrow faceIt was at the Bologna Children's Book Fair [the most important fair for children's and young adult books] that I showed the mock-up to Josep Gregori, from Bromera, and he wanted to publish it.

When was this?

— It was published in 2014 by Animallibres, Bromera's children's imprint where I've published much of my work. Since they were the first publisher to believe in me, I've remained loyal, although I also work for Flamboyant, solely as an illustrator.

Success didn't take long, did it?

— The first book starring Minimoni, What color is a kiss? [2015] was a bombshell, both nationally and internationally. The same year it came out, I also published The tallest mountain of books in the worldwhich was initially somewhat obscured by What color is a kiss? That Sant Jordi, both of them ended up in the top 5 best-selling books.

But we in the media didn't say much, did we?

— No. Children's and young adult literature receives minimal media coverage, considering its impact on sales, the talent of its authors, and its international reach. The picture book boom in Catalonia is now about fifteen years old. Catalonia's participation in the 2017 Bologna Children's Book Fair was a clear turning point, putting us on par with any other country.

Readers were discovering Minimoni while we journalists were overlooking it. How did you come up with it?

— Minimoni is my most beloved character, and I owe her a great deal. I was inspired to create her by a niece of mine who, as a child, had a very strong personality: she wouldn't let anyone cut her hair, she was quite wild... What color is a kiss? It was the book that launched my career in the literary world, the one that led to all the publishers calling me and allowed me to start saying no. It has been translated into 27 languages so far.

How did you take all that attention?

— Having success come to you quickly is both a blessing and a curse. My main internal struggle since then has been to maintain my level: to keep working, experimenting with different textures and lighting, and also to carefully choose themes that allow me to tell stories centered on the everyday and how we relate to friends and family. I really enjoy talking about how children see the world, telling it through their eyes.

You are translated into almost thirty languages and many countries repeat it.

— This is the key: that readers in other places look forward to Rocío Bonilla's new book. The places where I've had the greatest impact are Germany, Italy, France, Portugal, Greece, and Turkey.

Have you traveled a lot?

— I can't complain. My books have taken me to many places in Europe, but also to the United States, Buenos Aires, the Hay Festival in Querétaro, and the Hay Festival in Cartagena de Indias.

Tell me about a country where you've been translated that you didn't expect.

— In Kazakhstan.

You're doing a lot of interviews in Mexico these days. Are they different from the ones you do in Catalonia?

— They're generally very good. The best interview I've ever given was once when I was in Mexico City: it was done by a Cuban professor, and we ended up talking about the semiotics of the image.

How do you see the rewriting of classics to offer a politically correct look at today's creatures?

— There's a terrible revisionism going on. If it weren't for classic literature, we wouldn't be here. I believe that these stories, however politically incorrect they may be, should still be read with guidance.

Is the treatment of children's and young adult literature in the media changing?

— We're better off than we were a few years ago, but there's still a long way to go. Children's and young adult literature has an enormous responsibility. If we want adults who read, it's incomprehensible that we don't take care of children's literature.