Luisge Martin. Foto: lizenzfrei
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Luisgé Martin is a Spanish novelist and essayist, born in Madrid, 1962 – and he’s both speaking and reading at the 2016 “Empfindlichkeiten” Literature Festival in Berlin.
Wikipedia (Spanish) | Goodreads | portrait/profile (Enquirer.net)
„He received a degree in Hispanic Studies from the Universidad Complutense in Madrid and a Master in Business Management from Instituto de Empresa. His first novel “La muerte de Tadzio” (“The Death of Tadzio,” Alfaguara, 2000) was awarded the Premio Ramón Gómez de la Serna. […] He occasionally works as a columnist in various periodicals such as El Viajero, Babelia, El País and Shangay Express.“ [source: Link]
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01_Is there a text that introduces you / gives a good introduction to the topics and issues that you care about?
„Alexis ou le traité du vain combat“ by Marguerite Yourcenar
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02_If someone call you „homosexual author“, you…
I say yes, but not only that.
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03_A queer book that influenced you (how?)…
Luis Cernuda’s poetry. It helped me to make from pain.
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04_A different piece of queer culture that influenced you…
Many films: L’homme blessé by Patrice Chéreau, Torch Song Trilogy by Paul Bogart, etc.
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05_Something about homosexuality that you wish you had learned/understood/known earlier……
Everything. When I was fifteen I didn’t know anything about homosexuality.
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06_If your work is placed in book stores, THESE are the authors you’d feel most honored to be placed next to:
Marguerite Yourcenar, Thomas Mann, Oscar Wilde, Manuel Puig…
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07_A queer moment you’ve had in Berlin (or anywhere in Germany) that you’ll remember for a long time:
The kitsch decoration in the first gay bar I got in in Berlin.
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08_Is there a heterosexual ally that you like/value and who you’ve grateful for?
Former Spain’s Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who approved gay marriage in Spain.
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09_Is there another guest/author at „Empfindlichkeiten“ you’re particularly looking forward to? (why?)
Abdelah Taia and Edouard Louis because of their books.
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10_Is there a queer phenomenom that is very visible in the mainstream culture – and that makes you happy BECAUSE it is so visible?
Gay Pride in Madrid.
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11_Is there a particular prejudice, misconception or line of thought about queerness that you wish would just go away/not be discussed again and again?
The importance or self-censorship of effeminacy.
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12_Is Hubert Fichte important to you? How?
No. I haven’t read him yet.
13_What’s your history with the Literarisches Colloquium Berlin? Have you been here?
I haven’t heard about it before being invited to participate in this festival.
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14_Is there a queer literary event that you miss/envision/would like to see?
I can’t think of any. But I would like that there were many more queer literary events all over the world.
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15_Queer texts are often about sexuality, identity/coming to terms with yourself and/or discrimination. Are there other topics/issues that you’d like to see featured in queer books more often?
Family relationships in a specific way.
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16_What country, what culture energizes you, teaches you new things about queerness?
USA due to the amount of contradictions that exist in the queer fight and recognition.
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17_In mainstream culture, queerness increasingly gets some space. But then: does qeer culture embrace mainstream, too? Does it embrace mainstream TOO MUCH – when it comes to questions of gender norms, family planning, „presentable“ people, consumerism, politics? Where do queerness and „normality“ crash? Do they crash/collide hard enough?
Marginal cultures always fight for recognition and recognition comes when they conquer spaces. We cannot regret and feel ashamed of such conquests.
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18_If universities/academics talk about queer topics, you often think…
Temporarily, that is great news.
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19_A person (or, more general: an aspect of personality or appearance) that you find very sexy:
Youth.
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20_There’s a video campaign that wants to prevent depressed queer teenagers from commiting suicide, „It gets better“. DOES it get better? How and for whom? When did it get better for you? What has to get better still?
Yes, it gets better, much better. The Empfindlichkeiten festival is an example because it has assembled a bunch of writers who have told their tragic stories in their books, but their lives now are better and they can talk and write about those past hard days with perspective.
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all my 2016 interviews on Queer Literature:
…and, in German:
- Katy Derbyshire (Link)
- Kristof Magnusson (Link)
- Angela Steidele (Link)
- Hans Hütt (Link)
- Martina Minette Dreier (Link)
Kuratoren & Experten am Literarischen Colloquium Berlin:
Queer Literature: „Empfindlichkeiten“ Festival 2016:
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