"I studied philology, which predisposed me to reading and writing. When, after working for a publishing house, I thought about how to focus without having to work for a company, I immediately realized the need to rescue women's history. And since then I haven't stopped, because I'm lucky that there's always an editor who aligns with my topics of interest." The writer and philologist Carmen Domingo reflects at the bar on the start of a career that already includes more than twenty-five books, various plays, and a consistent body of articles for publications such as El País, Ethic, El Periódico or Le Monde Diplomatique.
She enjoys a late morning wine and olives, in the company of a book —"I always leave home with one in my bag"— which she has set aside on the bar as the conversation began and which, in case of silence, she would continue reading: "It's better to make the most of time!" In the background, she likes a good cultural or political podcast playing, and to put the radio aside, although in her childhood they had it on at home all the time.
"Whenever I write, I do so with the aim of being a historical and political popularizer, and for that I have used different genres, from essays to fictionalized biographies, including theater. And that's how I've built my career, with each of my books." She looks towards a remote place that is not in this space, sips a drink of wine, and continues: "I see how time passes and how History always gives me a starting point for the next one." She smiles, then, realizing that "in reality, I've been lucky enough to be able to write books on the topics I've been interested in learning about." History has given her alibis to keep writing, saving her from the thematic voids that sometimes arise when working with words.
The breadth of these alibis is explained by taking a look at her extensive bibliography, with titles such as Frida, Gala-Dalí, Mi querida hija Hildegart, about the whys of Aurora Rodríguez Carballeira's gruesome crime, No llores por mí, about the last days of Eva Perón, or Cancelado: el nuevo Macartismo, about the causes and effects of the growing cancel culture. A body of work that provides solvency, as demonstrated by the fact that, in 2022, the parishioner was curator of the seventh edition of the Day of Women Writers at the National Library of Spain under the motto Before, during and after wars, for which she embarked on an ambitious task of making visible authors who left written testimony of conflicts in their countries of origin.
The folder, overflowing
"I always have something in mind, whether it's opinion pieces or projects to embark on," Carmen asserts. "If I let you open my computer and go into the possible projects folder, you would see that there are no less than seven or eight topics that I am interested in delving into sooner or later. And I hope they see the light!"
Currently, she is writing the last volume of her ambitious trilogy on the history of women's modernizing role in Spain. The first volume, Con voz y voto (RBA), has just been re-released with an expanded edition, and focuses on the years 1931 to 1939, fleeing political trenches and shedding light on the women who influenced the country's destiny in those years: from Dolores Ibarruri to Federica Montseny, passing through Victoria Kent or Pilar Primo de Rivera. The second, Coser y cantar, which covers between 1939 and 1975, is expected to return to bookstores (also in an expanded edition) this autumn. "And the last one, De excluidas a protagonistas, which is the one I'm writing now, covers from 1975 to 1982 and will be released next year."
The first volume of her trilogy on the modernizing role of women in Spain has just been re-released with an expanded edition, focused on the years 1931 to 1939 and fleeing political trenchesThe writer combines all of this with her collaborations in the press and the writing of a new play. "In general, I am proud of everything I have done. To help rescue the history of many women who are invisible and who should not be. And to be lucky enough to feel that I am not alone, something I confirm thanks to my presentations and conferences by the women who approach me interested in the same topics as me." And the wine, accompanied by that confirmation, tastes especially exquisite to her.
The perfect size
Born in Barcelona in '70, writer Carmen Domingo feels very comfortable in a city "that for me is the perfect size." If she had to find a flaw, she confesses that "perhaps I would like us to recover the cosmopolitan atmosphere that was breathed in the 90s and escape from that provincialism that sometimes accompanies us." But when it comes to Barcelona, she prefers to think about all the good things. "I live two steps away from the superilla of Consell de Cent and that has allowed me to rediscover a neighborhood where before you wouldn't even go for a walk, and where now you can walk and sit on any of its terraces, or discover small local shops. Just the fact of walking around the city, discovering lifelong shops and bars... for me that's enough!" And she smiles broadly, breathing in streets that are in her head and in her heart.
—Well, now that you mention it, you've come to this Bar, but you still need to discover our gastronomic offer, in case you want to stay and eat something...
—The only condition, if I eat out, is to eat dishes that I wouldn't cook myself at home, either because they are elaborate, or because they are typical cuisine from other countries.
—That's not a problem: we have portions, a set menu, and an à la carte menu with good variety... And quality!
And Carmen Domingo keeps her smile. "Given the moment and the company, I think I'm going to see what portions there are," somehow rewarding the quality of the conversation at the bar.
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