David Cordero: "Cities weaken family ties"

BarcelonaFamily is the most important thing we have. Especially our immediate family, the people you live with and are closest to. The unconditional support. Wife, parents, siblings... grandparents.

In your first novel, the figure of the mother, the preservation of the family legacy, carries a lot of weight.

— The Cabot family's story is a message for my children. I've always hoped their relationship would last, that it would be like the one they have now that they're young and share their lives.

In Dogs There are two brothers and a couple expecting a child.

— I wanted there to be a ray of light, a crack of hope, in this bleak, apocalyptic, and disappointing environment. This ray is Fiona's pregnancy. The child is the future, the continuation of life, the reason her parents are building a more humane world. Without him, the story would be meaningless. It would descend into unbearable pessimism, and that wasn't the message I wanted to convey.

Do you think family ties are stronger in a rural environment?

— Cities weaken family ties. Overcrowding makes us invisible, and the anxiety and stress of trying to keep up with everything that's demanded of us makes us insensitive and individualistic. I have the feeling that in a rural setting it's easier to maintain these bonds. The calm of being close to nature makes us more human.

Have you ever lived in a small town?

— We all have a favorite town. In my case, it would be my in-laws' town in Ribagorça, where we go on vacation. It also includes the towns I visit when I go cycling with my group, and the area near Dosrius, where I spent my free time during my childhood and youth.

You love the mountains.

— The mountains and nature are how the world should be if humankind hadn't interfered. I spent weekends and holidays as a child and teenager in Montnegre and Corredor. My parents had a house there. As I was saying, we now spend our summers in a village in Ribagorça. These two places have inspired some of the settings in the book, as well as other high mountain areas we've visited with our children.

And do your children love him as much as you do?

— When they were little, it was easier to get them to come to the mountains with us. As they get older, it becomes more difficult to take them along because technology is a major obstacle.

Do you have a dog at home?

— My children and my wife had always wanted a dog, and a couple of years ago we adopted a greyhound. I've always been against separating an animal from its habitat to put it in an enclosed space to act as a guard dog, companion, or toy.

Certainly...

— I am against the buying and selling of any animal. In the case of our dog, I agreed to take him home because he was an abandoned animal, and I thought it would be right to make amends for some of the harm another human being had caused him.

In what ways are the older and younger siblings very similar?

— They are similar in the ways society and social media influence them. They have a fairly similar worldview. Until they reach adulthood, young people try to be as much like everyone else as possible. As they get older, they seem to accept their differences better and try to build their own identity.

What's worrying you?

— The changes are happening so fast. Progress used to be slow. I worry about being left behind too soon and that this technological progress will stifle creativity. I fear that life will pass them by while their heads are buried in a screen.

What do you pay special attention to?

— I try to encourage them to be creative and, above all, to be good people. Before, their role models were their parents, then their teachers, now it's the internet, and we have to try to make them critical thinkers and help them distinguish truth from lies.

What phrases do you repeat most often?

— Tidy your room. Turn off the screens. Brush your teeth. It's hard not to give up, because they never give up, so you have to be a little persistent to get them to adopt healthy habits.

Tell me about a disturbing situation you experienced.

— Once, Dídac shaved his head because of a bet with other friends that only he fulfilled.

What values ​​matter?

— Tolerance towards all that is different, respect for the opposite sex, empathy towards the disadvantaged, defense of the weak.