A tireless researcher,
Javier Sierra
(Teruel, 1971) feels an enormous passion for everything related to Egypt.
"I am not an Egyptologist, but I am an Egyptologist. Everything about Egypt attracts me powerfully and makes me think and dream. It invites me to write, investigate, travel...
I have traveled many times around the world looking for the impact of Egypt
in those places", he says in a very special place.
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On the occasion of the launch of
El regreso de Tutankhamón
, a sound fiction co-produced by Podimo and Planeta Audio, Sierra has gone to the Palacio del Liria, in the heart of Madrid.
The place where you can now visit
an exhibition on his figure and the support he gave at the time to Howard Carter, the discoverer of Tutankhamun's mummy.
"The fiction that I present opens the door to discover all those things that are part of our heritage. Not knowing the role that the Casa de Alba has had in the culture of our country is an important gap. I think it is a good opportunity to underline it and tell it to the new generations".
In this imposing frame, Sierra's eyes shine.
And she is happy to be able to describe her passion for mystery and how you have to let your imagination run wild.
The
winner of the Planeta Prize in 2017
talks about it like this: "
Imagination is the lifeline of our species.
It is what has gotten us out of all the quagmires from Prehistory to today.
In moments of crisis is when it is most necessary to stimulate it.
For It is key for me and I am so aware of it that I seek to stimulate it a lot in young people".
However, his critical vein comes out when talking about educational plans and how badly young people know history.
"I see the educational plans on the part of those responsible as a major clumsiness. I think that those who know their roots walk firmly through life and those who do not do so in an insecure way. That is why
the curricula must be strengthened and include the Humanities.
Not only history, but Latin and Greek in the face of this belief that in the future we are going to need mechanics or engineers.
It is not true, we need philosophers or thinkers and people who remind us who we are."
Throughout his life, Sierra has encountered many refusals to continue paving the way. "
I have heard many times that what I was doing was not interesting. That no, far from dissuading me, made me more curious".
Although, when the UFO subject is touched on, Sierra does not bite her tongue: "
My curiosity was born with a subject that was folkloric to many: UFOs.
I, who have met people who have seen them in Roswell, have always felt shock hearing how they remembered those stories. Many of those people did not have a good time seeing something, telling it and finding a social wall. I know that what they saw has a real basis. Although I can't know what."
Finally, a message to those who criticize mystery researchers: "
The vaccine against all the ills of this society is information.
With it we overcome false skeptics, prejudices, opinions that are given with a certain superiority... .".
THE MADRID OF... JAVIER SIERRA
A RESTAURANT.
The legend of the agave.
“It is a small but very interesting Mexican restaurant.
I've been going there for so long that they've ended up naming one of their tacos after me.
That is, you can order the Sierra tacos.
And I recommend them because they are fantastic.
Calle de Núñez de Balboa, 37
Phone: 914 31 16 06
A PLACE FOR A PHOTOGRAPH. Ruins of the Church of San Isidoro.
«When I won the Planeta Prize, the first place I went to take photos was the ruins of the Church of San Isidoro, which are Romanesque and are inside the El Ertiro Park.
They were brought in the 19th century from the walls of Ávila and ended up near the Casita del Pescador”.
A MUSEUM. Lazaro Galdiano.
«I am especially fascinated by the Lázaro Galdiano Museum.
It is a kind of cabinet of wonders where you can find everything.
From porcelain to fans, going through paintings by Goya or paintings with links to El Bosco.
It seems to me an incredible corner ».
Serrano, 122
Phone: 915 61 60 84
A BOOKSTORE. Moyano slope.
«More than a bookstore, I would like to highlight a set of them.
Specifically, all those located on the Cuesta de Moyano.
This was the place that welcomed me when I came to Madrid to study, back in the 80s. A corner where I could find old books at a very affordable price and also novelties.
And that now, some time later, it continues to be one of my favorite places in the capital».
A STREET. Menendez Pelayo.
«I really like the contrast that Menéndez Pelayo street has.
On one side you have some of the trendiest restaurants in the city.
And, on the other, the immense El Retiro Park.
I really like that contrast between nature and invented nature, so to speak.».
A STORE. National Archaeological Museum.
«I like the museum shops more and more.
There I usually come across products that are perfect for gifts and that are not normal.
Specifically, I really like the store of the National Archaeological Museum.
There I find things for children such as small automatic mummies or scarves and more elegant things inspired by pieces that are inside the museum ».
Serrano, 13
Phone: 915 77 79 12
A SECRET CORNER. Quinta de Fuente del Berro Park.
«I like the Parque Quinta de Fuente del Berro.
It is located next to the M-30, in the Guindalera neighborhood.
Although it might seem like an unwelcoming place, it's the perfect place to relax for a while and get lost with a book."
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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