On the 15th anniversary of the ARA

We reproduce below the speech that the Greek-Swedish writer Theodor Kallifatides gave at the Palau de la Música on Thursday, November 27, when he was awarded the first Diari ARA International Prize as part of the celebration of the newspaper's 15th anniversary.

Authoritats, senyores i senyors, bona nit a tothomIt is a great honor for me to receive the Diari ARA International Award in this emblematic place. I will always be grateful to Ferran Rodés, Esther Vera, and the entire team. diary Thank you for the award and for the generosity and affection with which you have supported my books from the very beginning. I am thrilled that they are also translated into Catalan. And thank you to Barcelona and to all of you who are here today.

The newspaper was one of my first experiences. It arrived in our town late in the afternoon by bus from Athens. The men waited for it, but few bought it, simply because they couldn't read. The lawyer was the one who bought it, and he had to read it aloud to everyone else, which he loved. You could almost see him grow as he read. The mayor also bought the newspaper and disappeared with it into his bathroom, where his secretary would read it aloud to him for hours because the mayor suffered from chronic constipation.

I especially remember the war reports and how, in Athens, the journalists gave advice to the Allied generals. It was a kind of arrogance that would become more entrenched over time. There were times when the newspaper didn't arrive, and darkness enveloped us as if the town's generator had broken down, which also happened often.

World War II ended, and the Civil War began. My family moved to Athens. We were very poor. Dad had to work at two different schools to feed the family. Meanwhile, right-wing repression grew daily. The publication of the left-wing newspaper, which had the beautiful name of Early morningBut reading it was dangerous. Dad bought it in cahoots with the newsstand owner, who in turn reported him to the secret police. But Dad would come home with the newspaper and, after dinner, he would immerse himself in it. It was his moment of happiness and the only luxury he could afford. I read it too. I remember the headlines when the US Army tested napalm in the Greek mountains against the partisans. My essays in school were increasingly influenced by some of the journalists I read; the teacher praised me, but I knew they were just pale imitations of the journalists I admired. It was a student newspaper that published my first short story, which was rewarded with a kiss from my girlfriend. It was my only reward. When I was nineteen, I started working at a newspaper in Athens. Every day I saw the director go downstairs to chat with the doorman. Since I found it strange, I asked why the director did that. They replied, "Oh! It's because the doorman represents public opinion."

I moved to Sweden and the newspaper Dagens Nyheter He became my guide in that society and in that new life. The great stylists wrote there. I learned a lot from them, especially the art of making an impact with a sentence.

I debuted as a Swedish writer in the evening newspaper Aftonbladet, the best-selling book in the country. Later I wrote for the newspaper Expressen.

I finally arrived at Swedish DailyThe editor, Gustav von Platen, gave me a piece of advice I'll never forget: "Never begin an article with 'I.' People don't want to know what you think, but what's happening." I've followed that rule to the letter. A good newspaper offers objective information. You can also have opinions in an ideological debate, but that's another matter. Ideology shouldn't influence the presentation of the facts. I myself was the editor of a literary magazine for a few years. I experienced the vertigo of having so much power. A "no" here, a "yes" there. But I made an effort to explain my criteria. I never rejected proposals with phrases like "this isn't good enough," but rather explained how, in my opinion, it could be improved. In this way, many new talents emerged. But I wasn't a journalist. He was a writer, and a writer can never be a good journalist, while a good journalist can be a good writer.

For newspapers and journalists, the key words are Truth and Objectivity. These are not a writer's main problem.

A good newspaper doesn't lie, it doesn't pursue hidden agendas. Journalists must protect language, cherish it, love it.

Unfortunately, in recent years a press dedicated to lies, cover-ups, violence, and egocentrism has emerged.

One can only hope that solid newspapers committed to truth and objective debate also exist.

Many congratulations to the newspaper ARA for his five-fifth year and for your magnificent work. Many thanks and good sort!