Marina Porras: "I don't save enough because I'm not careful enough."

A literary critic, bookseller, and associate professor at Pompeu Fabra University, Marina Porras (Rubí, 1991) is, above all, a lover of literature. When she was just four years old, her mother opened a bookstore, and ever since, she's lived within the literary world. "When I was fifteen, I started a blog and began writing about books, critiques, and reviews. Then, I began doing free contributions, and little by little, I began to get paid ones." Porras combined this with selling books in the family business. "I remember that when we were quite young, not many people around me were working. Back then, I had a friend who worked at a music academy, and it gave us both a lot of security and freedom to have our own money to go to the movies or buy something," she explains.

Little by little, she grew within that sector and became self-employed. "It's true that at first I took on more collaborations, even if they weren't exactly a good fit. Now, however, the more work I have, the more choice I have," she says. Over the years, she has become more specialized. However, it's very difficult to dedicate herself solely to writing. "One of my fundamental challenges is that I have many jobs, always related to books, but of very different nature. Three days a week I have classes at Pompeu Fabra University, and some afternoons I go to the bookstore. So, the other jobs and collaborations necessarily have to be done at night. With crazy schedules, it's the only way, it's the only way, it's the only way," of communication.

The collaborations are always about literature, but they are very different from each other: "It's not the same thing to be commissioned to write a prologue and have to work with a book or an author, writing and researching, than going to 3/24 to do a ten-minute section. And it's that tricky thing when you like the job, like I do, you study referring to what they charge per hour." And he continues: "Maybe there's a collaboration that involves two days of work that pay the same as a collaboration that requires months of work." In fact, there are collaborations that could be "quickly dismissed," but since he wants to do it well and loves it a lot, he dedicates a lot of time. "It's a privilege to work on something you really like," he explains. The same goes for preparing classes: you can dedicate more or less time to it depending on the quality you want to offer; "it's not an exact science," but when you put in the effort, it's rewarded. "One of the nicest things about my job is seeing former students who thank you for your work and who do things related to literature."

But the worst part is the paperwork. "We self-employed workers are absolutely mistreated by public administrations. You feel like you're working to pay for things, that they're suffocating you, and that they're putting every possible obstacle in your way," he adds. In fact, he argues that this model "discourages" people who want to pursue their own projects.

Managing a bookstore

In the case of the literary side of things, it's important to find a balance and maintain financial stability. "I really like working at the bookstore, but like any commercial job, it has strict and demanding hours. Since that money really gives me a lot of security and freedom, I take that into account," she explains. Although she doesn't consider herself a big saver, she tries to have a little corner so she doesn't have to do work she doesn't like simply for the money. On the other hand, she doesn't think she has big expenses. "I don't save enough because I'm not careful enough. With this chaotic life, I can't stand having to keep a close eye on my spending, but I do try not to be tight," she confesses. Her favorite indulgence is food, and she assures: "When I can go to good restaurants and spend money, I don't feel bad about it. I also don't feel bad about spending money on books. I have a library that's very nice. It's a place where money has been invested, and I'm happy with how it's turned out."

As for housing, since becoming independent, she has always rented with her partner, first in Rubí and currently in Barcelona. She would like to buy an apartment if she had the money. "It's a big decision. And that makes me afraid of making mistakes," she says. Porras sees herself always devoting herself to books: "My goal is to have more time to read and write."