Dolores Redondo: "I come from the Basque matriarchy, where women ruled"

Dolores Redondo (San Sebastián, 1969) is one of the greatest phenomena of recent Spanish literature, she is part of the very small circle of authors who have sold millions and her latest novel, Waiting for the Flood (Destination), published last November, It remains among the best-selling titles.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
04 March 2023 Saturday 15:49
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Dolores Redondo: "I come from the Basque matriarchy, where women ruled"

Dolores Redondo (San Sebastián, 1969) is one of the greatest phenomena of recent Spanish literature, she is part of the very small circle of authors who have sold millions and her latest novel, Waiting for the Flood (Destination), published last November, It remains among the best-selling titles. We talked with her in Tudela (Navarra), a few kilometers from the peaceful town where she still lives.

What was Dolores Redondo like thirteen years ago?

The Invisible Guardian had not yet been published, nor did I know how big it was going to be. He was a very restless person, to whom social networks –especially Facebook– gave him the cultural leaks he needed, because in the area in which I moved there was no one from the literary world. He had a previous novel that had gone unnoticed and that was the crying, we lamented that there was no room for new writers and we consoled ourselves. But my life was very similar, I haven't changed: I still live in the same place, drinking wine with the same people... I still like to have a very quiet life.

Did you then have the dream of reaching where you have arrived?

I don't think I have reached anywhere, there is no such thing as the top, what I want is to write better and better. All things have always cost me a lot. Others are made to be a champion or a general, and it was my turn to be a soldier, to fight a lot. I collect a lot of rejection letters, I keep them all. At first it is difficult for me to get anything. I know there are some battles to lose.

But wow success. How many copies have you sold worldwide?

I don't know, because the calculations made by the publishers lie, that is, they multiply the number of copies sold by several readers, and it is also difficult to trace abroad. What is certain are those four million copies sold –only in Spain–, they are more reliable official figures.

Also, three movies and now a series is coming.

The producer of Harry Potter acquired the rights to The North Face of the Heart and, with its partner, Universal, they intend to shoot a series between Los Angeles and New Orleans.

In his latest novel there is a murderer of menstruating women.

Unfortunately, the victims are always more women than men, especially in serial murders. John Bible was a real murderer who killed three menstruating women in Glasgow and chose them for that very reason. They never came to stop him.

Do you define yourself as a feminist?

I define myself as a woman, which is what I am. Feminism is something necessary, it was when it appeared and it still is now because unfortunately there are brutal differences, as is the obvious case that, for the same work, men and women are not paid the same.

Where does Amaia Salazar, your inspector from the Foral Police of Navarre, come from?

From the Basque matriarchy in which I was born, grew up and lived, in a large family of five brothers in Pasaia. The street was full of women, not a single man could be seen because they were at sea. When they came back, they handed over their entire salary and didn't bother them with household things. They made all the decisions regarding the children, the family budget, and so on. They ruled. There was a union between women within the family but also a lot of camaraderie among the neighbors, some cared for the children of the others, for example, and several groups of women went to the fields together with their children. That matriarchal union makes other women interfere a lot in your life. Everything about everyone is discussed in community. At the same time, male abuse was avoided because, when a case occurred, it dissolved very quickly, three women went to talk to the man and told him that if they saw his wife with a scarred face again, he would find out. . My mother was part of those commissions on more than one occasion.

Do you propose a matriarchy for the 21st century?

I don't know, because they left the man very out of responsibilities, he was not involved in caring for the children or in their education. He also did not communicate with the family. Many of the children of sailors have known their parents once they have retired. It was always a party when he came back but he gave us orders to the children as if we were his sailors. It was when he retired that he got involved in real life, shopping, caring for the sick... That part of the matriarchy didn't work well.

In her latest novel, the theme of prostitution appears tangentially.

In the Bilbao of the 80s there was a lot of it because there was a lot of addiction, most of them did it for the price of a pick.

What solution do you propose to the issue of prostitution?

If there is, it should come from within prostitution itself. Trying to talk about something you don't know, from above, makes you adopt a very moralistic position, that of 'before scrubbing'... You would have to deal with the groups that represent it and see how they see it... and they, who there are also many.

Dedicate the book to the goddess Mari.

I am his chronicler, from the first novel. She is a deity from ancient Basque mythology. According to legend, he is a genius of nature, whimsical, sometimes he is good and sometimes bad. If you make the right offerings to her and have respect for her, she's good to you, but you better not cross her because she unleashes tremendous storms, ruins the crops, and makes you starve. The wind, the rain and the clouds are children of Mari.

Have you heard Shakira's song?

Of course. The last and the penultimate. Last weekend we had a party and we danced to it. I liked both. I wish her to fall in love again because she makes some cool songs when she's out of love but, in love, she makes them even better, like Suerte, she even moves differently. I hope she falls in love again and gives us one of those songs.