Mónica Subietas: In permanent circular construction

"At ten I wanted to be a writer, at twenty, a journalist; at thirty, an editorial designer; at forty, a writer again. I was all of that and, when I thought the circle was finally closing, I thought: here I stand. What I didn't know is that one never stops being a writer, because each new story implies opening a new circle." The writer Mónica Subietas is visiting the city where she was born and has taken the opportunity to stop at the Bar, where she was about to order a red wine, "not just anything," before rectifying and opting for "a very cold beer" to combat the heat, while "Bruce Springsteen, please" plays in the background, an artist she declares herself devoted to since she was eleven.

"Writing a book doesn't mean finishing it. Finishing it doesn't mean publishing it. Publishing it doesn't mean it sells. Selling it doesn't mean it's good. Being good doesn't mean the next one will be too, if there is a next one. However, you start writing the next book looking for that, for it to be better than the previous one. If you finish it. If you manage to publish it. If it sells. If it's good. If it's better, because only then can the circle close to start again," she continues.

"That's why I say I'm in permanent construction ---she concludes---, let's say I build myself in circles." A process of constant shoring up of the soul that is completed with a marriage and a daughter: "Something that also builds me every day and even makes my foundations tremble."

These days, her literary debut, El bosque en silencio (Roca), sees the light, with a plot set in Switzerland in 1942 that delves into the trafficking of looted art and the origin of banking secrecy, and which is "an atypical book, because, despite being originally written in Spanish, it was published in German and Polish before its original language." Something understandable given that, for fifteen years, Mónica has resided in Zurich.

The machinery continues, nevertheless, at full capacity. "Right now I am promoting the book, but I am also finishing another novel and a volume of short stories. In addition, I am an editor at a Swiss news portal, I work one day a week with immigrant families in a reading promotion program, I run a book club and participate in two others, I give creative writing and critical reading workshops, among other activities. Maybe it seems like a lot, but in reality everything complements each other and, in the end, everything is related to writing or literature."

In the name of the sister

Since childhood, the parishioner nurtured the dream of writing. "My love story with letters was quite early, as I learned to read at the age of three but not with children's books, but with the newspaper my parents used to read." That led her to journalism and design.

But the reports were not enough. "Writing them I realized that I always lacked space and that my mind wanted to go much further. Then my childhood dream of writing fiction returned and that's where I stayed to live." It was not an easy start. "I had countless opportunities to throw in the towel and I didn't," she explains, valuing "the tenacity to move forward, the humility to learn, the resilience in the face of rejection and a lot of patience, since writing is a long-distance race in which one always feels like a novice; but it is what makes me feel fulfilled."

Since childhood, the parishioner nurtured the dream of writing

Another great key moment, in that perennially ongoing circular work that is the life of Mónica Subietas, arrived when she decided to go live in Switzerland: "Until then I wrote, but there I began to be a writer."

The city through which everything passes

"I was born in Barcelona and it's the place where I recharge my batteries. This is my epicenter: my people, my roots, most of my memories… everything passes through here," explains the local, in love with all the city's hallmarks: "The sea, the history, the architecture, the people." And, above all, fascinated by Sant Felip Neri square. "It's incredible that such a peaceful place hides such a violent and tragic episode. During the Civil War, a bomb fell there, killing 42 people, most of them children from a nursery school who had gone to take refuge under the church. This makes me wonder how many other things we don't know about each street, square, or building we visit."

"I was born in Barcelona and it's the place where I recharge my batteries. This is my epicenter: my people, my roots, most of my memories… everything passes through here"

Nevertheless, writer Mónica Subietas does not hide her disgust with the dirt she finds in the city, when she visits. "I dislike the smell of urine, quite common in narrow streets. I also don't like the insecurity: the other day I was walking with my daughter and a man's watch was stolen before our eyes. He was an old man and they threw him to the ground. My mother has had her purse or wallet stolen several times, on the street and on public transport. You constantly hear stories of this type and they are not limited to one area, it is widespread," she laments, as she sips her beer.

--- In this Bar you are safe and sound. It doesn't smell bad and the food is wonderful, in case you want to accompany your next beer with a menu, a combo plate, a sandwich or some tapas…

Mónica Subietas lets out a loud laugh.

"You got me there! I'm very much into tapas! But to answer your proposal I will tell you: daily menu in Spain, combo plate in Switzerland."

--- Well, we are not in Switzerland!

"Exactly!" she replies without losing her smile.