When a bookstore celebrates its anniversary in half a century, it is always a reason to celebrate. That is why this Wednesday Documenta was packed to the rafters. But without underestimating this reason, I can assure you that there was another reason that convinced many people to go there, even though the rainy afternoon did not invite them to leave the house.
The American writer Elizabeth Strout is in Barcelona and on Wednesday she presented her latest novel, Explain everything to me(1984 Editions), and I had the privilege of accompanying her in front of an auditorium full of expectant and excited faces.
Elizabeth Strout is a friendly and talkative woman –despite being from Maine, as she herself acknowledged–, elegant and very kind. In Catalonia she has a community of devoted readers, who have followed her since 2011 when the Llibreter Prize made us discover the wonderful Olive Kitteridge. We meet this unforgettable character again in Explain everything to me And, in response to a reader, Strout confirmed that Olive will never die. The announcement was received with great applause.
At Documenta, Strout spoke of the importance of place in literature – Maine, in her case –; of her way of writing, risky and intuitive; of how she was inspired by listening to the stories her mother told her; that she likes to write from a scene, and that only if when she rereads it she considers that the scene has a heartbeat, does she continue.
It was a real gift to listen to her, and I admit that I was moved on more than one occasion. For example, when, asked about which authors had influenced her, she called the Irish writer William Trevor without thinking. It was like entering a loop: I was listening to Elizabeth Strout, whom I read with devotion and with gratitude for everything I learn, and she spoke in the same terms about William Trevor. Meanwhile, I remembered having read the magnificent novel by this author The story of Lucy Gault and how it impressed me.
Literature is the thread that sews us together, and in every writer there is a reader who admires the talent of another author. It is the same thread that joined Pau Claris Street in Barcelona on Wednesday afternoon with the small town of Crosby, Maine, where the story of the characters ofExplain everything to me.
And, of course, it is the thread that led Elizabeth Strout's fans to fill the bookstore and that pushed their excited words of gratitude. It was such a nice feeling, sharing a moment with people who talked about Lucy Burton as if she really existed and as if we all knew her!
Writing novels has given me, and still gives me, many satisfactions of all kinds, but I can say without fear of being wrong that having shared a conversation with Elizabeth Strout will be one of the moments that will shine when I remember my professional career.
I can't get out of my head her naturalness when confessing that she doesn't quite know how she does it to create characters and invent stories. "They come to see me," she said, "and I listen to them and let them be." I can only say: may it be for many years, Elizabeth Strout!
