Espido Freire: "Media like WhatsApp have made young people read and write much more than previous generations"

Espido Freire (Bilbao, 1974) loves challenges and as a versatile author she has not been able to resist venturing into a genre she had not yet ventured into.

The youngest winner (to date) of the Planeta Prize with her novel

(1999) has just released

:

, a historical fiction with a gothic tint that reveals the moments of deception and mystery that Mary Shelley went through and that led her to write her most important work,

, one of the most famous horror novels in history.

The fictional story can be heard exclusively on Storytel, the

platform for audiobooks, e-books and podcasts, and, according to its author, "allows us to get closer to some extraordinary and unrepeatable characters to whom we owe an important part of our fears Because it is a story of love and passion, but also of rebellion, of the fight of the characters against a system that did not understand them and of the search for freedom above all else".

She liked the experience so much that she intends to continue.

You have published several audiobooks before, but this one is different. Yes, it is the first format thought about a text that has been written exclusively for an audience of the Storytel platform.

It is not an audio adaptation of a book.

The way of approaching this project has been quite a challenge. Has it been difficult or very different from what you were used to? I have to say that I like challenges and I have faced this one in a very playful way, as a challenge that I had what to beat

The differences with a conventional text are very marked, in terms of the speed at which the dialogues have to work, in terms of the rhythm of the descriptions, in the way of fragmenting the different episodes (we no longer think of chapters)... It is not theater (there I count on the visibility of the actor), it is not a script and it is not a radio program either;

a different literary component is needed.

That is why, when I managed to put everything in your place, I was lucky enough to have a story that was very dear and close to me, and then everything fell into place. Did you have something to do with the choice of voices? In this case I delegated Storytel the choice of actors.

At the time I told them what I imagined, but they did extremely well in that area.

I liked how it turned out so much that I'm looking forward to repeating it. There is a debate that there are many people who cannot access this type of technology due to age.

What audience is this audiobook aimed at? When we are creating a specific work, we do not have a specific audience in mind (it is the responsibility of the publisher).

There is always a bias: if you make a juvenile novel you know that adults are not going to read it to you, and on the contrary.

Basically, most of the audience we have now is slowly becoming familiar with issues such as podcasts, audiobooks, etc.

Besides, if we don't do it now, we'll be late.

I think it's important to be the first, it's always an advantage and I'm more interested in that than who we can reach more or less.

It is a reservoir, the entire archive of audiobooks will remain there for years, so that we will also incorporate a different public and audience.

Regarding the theme of

the whole archive of audiobooks will be there for years, so we will also incorporate a different public and audience.

Regarding the theme of

the whole archive of audiobooks will be there for years, so we will also incorporate a different public and audience.

Regarding the theme of

that will connect very well with young audiences, because the protagonists were, and another part has to do with the terrifying, with the fantastic;

another with the very idea of ​​romanticism... I'm more interested in the thematic range than an age range, because I'm convinced that it will be a matter of time before everyone can access it, just like social networks and videoconferences used to be.

Cover of the audiobook 'The Chronicles of Villa Diodati'.

Audiobooks have been installed in society for several years, but it seems that they have not caught on.

How do you see this segment? If I did not see it as a sector that is going to grow, I would not have opted for this project nor would I have the intention of continuing with it.

In many cases, the audiobook is having great success in non-fiction, in self-help books, learning books, that have to do with personal improvement... But that has always happened, also in the printed book, whose weight is the nonfiction and essay.

It is a space that must be conquered and it must be done with good stories.

My commitment is for original content, not the mere translation of a book that has already been written and is transferred to a different format.

The attraction of new clients will be done with content that is exclusive, different. Are you worried that young people today do not read books,

just social media, podcasts? That's a misperception.

Young people have never read, however, in recent years, the incorporation of media such as WhatsApp has made them not only read, but also write much more than previous generations.

The Harry Potter phenomenon or similar has made the printed book valued above the digital one.

I think that we overestimate what was the exaltation of the habitual reading in previous generations, it has always been low and my experience, both in institutes and in the university, is that there is an enormous interest because the stories are told in different formats, among them the conventional writing.

This problem is not only for young people, we adults also tend to inform ourselves through social networks or audios.

At the moment of truth,

the generation of stories, regardless of the format, has not experienced a better time.

In the future there will be a return to other types of conventional media, because we have seen the disadvantages of focusing exclusively on digital;

It is very possible that for the next generation we will have to teach them to write by hand again, to read physical books, because we are seeing a series of shortcomings.

Education is not something static, when we detect shortcomings we try to complete it in one way or another, just as in my generation emphasis was placed on learning computers, languages... Of all that you have done, what is in what do you put more enthusiasm? Enthusiasm is not exactly one of my flaws.

And when it comes to doing things, it's not so much about that as it is about affinity.

I think that what I am best at is in the story,

although perhaps it is the novel that has given me more fame and the essay where I am very well positioned.

But what I enjoy the most and what I have the most literary quality for is the story. Do you have anything left to try? For me it has always been very important to be a versatile author and the authors that interest me the most are.

I don't have any genre left that I haven't dabbled in.

And from there, fun, entertainment, themes, adapting to one or the other... Not everyone requires the same intensity.

Working on a novel is a long-term project, which can be combined with others planned in a shorter space of time, such as a podcast, a speech at conferences, an opinion piece.

And they are all different ways of telling stories;

one complements the other and teaches you to deal with the language,

the themes and the reader from different perspectives. In your essays you address many social issues.

Which ones worry you the most? I have dealt a lot with eating disorders and their consequences with mental health.

It is an issue that affects many women, not just teenagers, and receives very little attention and few media.

In recent times, as adolescents are receiving more attention, still insufficient, I am very interested in what mental health is in adult women and what is paternalism or the lack of importance given to it due to different biases.

It is a subject that requires an investigation that has to be carried out by specialists and then has to have the help of those of us who are more sensitive to that subject in the disclosure.

But on many occasions there is also a need for intermediaries between the experts and the way to demystify this type of ailment, which continues to carry an enormous stigma.

I can safely say that I overcame a depression a few years ago, but anyone who depends on a contract or who is in the public eye has social pressure and is going to encounter very specific difficulties.

This cannot be overlooked.

The Madrid of Espido Freire

The Botanical Garden.

Espido Freire was born in Bilbao and moved to Madrid in 2001. He has lived in the capital for 20 years, specifically in the Barrio de Salamanca, and considers Madrid his adult city.

A corner to get lost: "

I really like the

and it is quite common to see me there. Also the Parque del Capricho. After confinement I value being outdoors much more, being in contact with nature. One of the things I miss the most less than Euskadi is being able to be in the mountains in 20 minutes".

One (or several) museums: "

I am very heavy on museums and I love going to the most unknown, such as the

, the

or the

. More than to think, I go quite a lot to distract myself".

Cerralbo Museum.

A theatre: "

I have been at

for two years as moderator of the meetings between the public and the theater companies".

A street:

"I have collaborated for several years in

[SER radio program] with literary and historical anecdotes of Madrid, so I consider myself a good connoisseur of the different stages of the capital. There is a street that I find very interesting and it is a pity that it is now not as well cared for as it should be. It is

, where there is still a colony of small modernist style houses, which would have been magnificent if they had spread to the rest of Madrid. It is a bit isolated , in the sales area, but because it has an architectural history and unfinished family and private projects behind it, it interests me. I really like lost things".

One (or several) favorite restaurants:

"I vary a lot because I like to change. One of my latest discoveries has been

(Velázquez, 80). I also really like

(Claudio Coello, 10). On the other hand, my family She

is Galician and one of the restaurants where I feel very comfortable and frequent is

(Velázquez, 96 and Jorge Juan, 29). I love the Betanzos tortilla, their specialty".

A terrace:

"For me, terraces are associated with summer, but

I really liked the one at the

(Gran Vía, 84). The entire Gran Vía has become a haven of exceptional terraces. I'm not particularly a reveler, I prefer meetings more intimate at home than the terraceo".

Patons.

A getaway in the Community of Madrid:

"I tell you two very different ones. One is

. I am very attracted to Royal Sites, they are extraordinary and, for me, who likes history, Aranjuez has a lot to offer. Another very different place is

, a small town with an absolutely unique construction and in a valley that brings together many legends.The place is typical of subsistence farmers who have excellent honey and when visiting it allows us to travel back in time.We go from the magnificence of Aranjuez to the feeling of everyday life and simple and with a purity like Patones.They are very special places.

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