Criticism of Risto Mejide for stating that "you always have to separate the work from its author"

Risto Mejide is going through some complicated days on a sentimental level.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
20 June 2023 Tuesday 10:55
3 Reads
Criticism of Risto Mejide for stating that "you always have to separate the work from its author"

Risto Mejide is going through some complicated days on a sentimental level. His relationship with the Valencian pharmacist Natalia Almarcha is now a thing of the past, despite the fact that many of his followers bet because the young woman had managed to restore the illusion of love to the publicist. However, it seems that this will not be the case.

Perhaps for this reason, and to try to put aside the gossip about the alleged reasons that would have precipitated the unexpected breakup, Mejide has decided to focus on his work. Among other commitments, granting interviews about his latest novel, Sixteen Notes, which has precisely placed him once again at the focus of criticism from some Internet users. The reason, that the communicator affirmed that "it is always necessary to separate the work from its author" in all cases.

The publicist sat down with Patricia Fernández to talk about her latest book, when she stated that it was necessary to separate "the work of its author", in all cases -also in hers- because "you can be disappointed, but you can also miss out on wonderful things ".

When asked by Fernández about what he would say to someone who did not want to read his book because he "does not like" the presenter, Mejide is clear and sentences that "I cannot fight against that." Now, he insists that "he will miss out on a great novel."

The communicator goes further, criticizing how wrong the so-called "cancellation culture" is. "We cannot do a whole, because then the culture of cancellation arises," he explains, giving an example, "With a 'look, with this man who has said this I no longer want anything at all. Come on, we'll go to all your work to ban everywhere.' No, listen, one thing: this gentleman, at each stage of his life, can have a series of certain beliefs."

Some statements that barely took dozens of comments to accumulate, with some users harshly criticizing the words of the communicator. "You have to separate the work from the author, each one who assumes what it is", says one of them, with others who add that it is impossible to separate the work from an author, because "at unconscious levels the work is almost a projection of the artist ".

It must be said that others, for their part, completely agreed with the publicist's words. "Wagner, Ezra Pound, Foxá, Heidegger... They are enormous authors whose ideology is Nazi/fascist garbage. We lose a lot if we don't manage to make that observation," observed one of them, while others acknowledged that Risto Mejide himself did not generate them no sympathy, and yet they had enjoyed reading his latest book.

It is said that the culture of cancellation is one of the greatest threats to today's artist, but what is the limit and who decides? Authors like J.K. Rowling have suffered from this type of cancel culture that Mejide speaks of ever since she went public with his views on the biological basis of sex and gender, thus "sulliing" the entire Harry Potter universe. Daniel Radcliffe came to the fore stating that not only should the author's work be separated, but that it should.

The same is requested by many of those who enjoyed series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, created by Josh Whedon, who is known to have verbally and physically abused women on set. The same is requested with actors like Armie Hammer, accused of raping several women, even inciting cannibalism; and film directors like Woody Allen - accused of child abuse - or Roman Polanski, who was convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl, after which he became a fugitive.

With all of them, the conclusion remains the same: it will depend on each one what they want to cancel or not.