April is not far away. This means that we near the 400th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare, Cervantes, and Garcilaso de la Vega. The coincidence of them dying on the same day and the same year is something I wrote about before.
What brings me here right now is an article that I read today in the Spanish newspaper El País. It focuses on the reactions of members of the country’s intellectual elite to preparations for the celebrations of the anniversary. Better said, it is published as a criticism of the lack of preparation:
What brings me here right now is an article that I read today in the Spanish newspaper El País. It focuses on the reactions of members of the country’s intellectual elite to preparations for the celebrations of the anniversary. Better said, it is published as a criticism of the lack of preparation:
Escritores y miembros de la Real Academia Española (RAE) se muestran decepcionados, escandalizados y dolidos ante la falta de información, los retrasos y la escasa ambición de miras respecto al autor del Quijote.
There is, of course, much to be said about these criticisms. Not least, as Andrés Trapiello points out, is a comparison between the investment that the Spanish government made in retrieving the author’s bones during the last year and the one that they do not seem to be making to celebrate and promote the reading of his very living texts. Is it true that only 20% of the Spanish have read Don Quijote?
However, what seems to jump more off the page for me is the editorial tone that the newspaper has taken in regard to this subject. The headline –suggesting the British celebrate culture better than the Spanish- seems meant to provoke strong and very nationalistic feelings. This is not the first article that they have published about this anniversary and I doubt it will be the last. It appears that they have made a decision to push this issue with the goal of making it a subject of conversations in Spain’s cafés. This is an example of a newspaper playing politics and it is nice to see. This newspaper wants its readers to think critically about the relationship between the government and culture. Since the re-establishment of democracy, El País has played an essential role in the country’s national dialog. In the last few years, however, that credibility and sense of purpose seemed to have waned. Whether you agree with an editorial line or if it infuriates you, it is a sign of healthy debate when a country has newspapers that give voice to many opinions. It is refreshing to see El País newly bare some teeth.
However, what seems to jump more off the page for me is the editorial tone that the newspaper has taken in regard to this subject. The headline –suggesting the British celebrate culture better than the Spanish- seems meant to provoke strong and very nationalistic feelings. This is not the first article that they have published about this anniversary and I doubt it will be the last. It appears that they have made a decision to push this issue with the goal of making it a subject of conversations in Spain’s cafés. This is an example of a newspaper playing politics and it is nice to see. This newspaper wants its readers to think critically about the relationship between the government and culture. Since the re-establishment of democracy, El País has played an essential role in the country’s national dialog. In the last few years, however, that credibility and sense of purpose seemed to have waned. Whether you agree with an editorial line or if it infuriates you, it is a sign of healthy debate when a country has newspapers that give voice to many opinions. It is refreshing to see El País newly bare some teeth.
Click to read the article
