"I always read a lot and thought that, at some point, maybe I would dare to write. One day I started doing it in my phone's notes and saw that they all had something in common to string them together. From there came the idea for my first novel." The journalist and writer Roberto Sánchez Ruiz muses aloud, leaning on the bar with a black vermouth and two olives, and with a copy of his recently published latest novel, Líneas cruzadas (Plaza & Janés), a thriller that delves into the recent history of a Catalonia made of big dreams, deafening silences, and half-truths.
--- Do you fancy a bite with that vermouth?
--- I would eat brunch all the time. Maybe I'll get around to it later!
He arrived mid-morning, contrary to what the nocturnal nature of his radio work dictates and, lending himself to the conversation at the front line of the Bar, he accepts any type of music or program playing in the background. "I only ask that it not be a podcast of two people talking about things: they are abundant and only a couple are worth saving."
In parallel to an acclaimed and awarded radio career that has earned him recognitions such as the ONDAS award, a Silver Microphone, and a Golden Antenna, the person responsible for the successful radio magazineSi amanece nos vamos, on Cadena SER, has published a dozen books including Asesinos de series, Salvarás a mis hijos, Noche en vela or Quienes manejan los hilos. Unable to stay still, in a constant alternation between the microphone and the blank page, Roberto Sánchez Ruiz is currently presenting his new work and, at the same time, is "in full celebration of one hundred years of radio in our country and with the draft of two very different novels." Just enough time to rest.
The irresistible call of the airwaves
"I'm a kid from Cerdanyola who wanted to do radio. In the 80s there it was relatively easy, as there were up to five stations. That was my best school," he explains while finishing his vermouth. On a visit with his parents to enroll in the Official Institute of RTVE, the director told him "to go to the Faculty of Journalism and not waste his time there". And that was a providential step.
--- But your career started in Madrid, didn't it?
Roberto Sánchez Ruiz nods. "At the Faculty of Journalism, I was given a scholarship to join SER in Madrid. There I had to choose whether to go there as an intern or be a star at COPE in Sabadell." He chose the former, of course, and in that year 1988, a long career linked to this station began, leading programs such as Carrusel de verano, Mediodía SER, and Madrid siete estrellas, from the radio's delegation in Valencia, and working on Hoy por hoy and La ventana.
One Friday in 1994, he was given a few hours "to decide if the following Monday I would start Si amanece nos vamos or if I would stay with a weekend program for SER's local station in Madrid." Again, he embarked on the most ambitious project and now prides himself "on vindicating the importance of late-night radio."
He has also worked in television on TVE, Telecinco, and Telemadrid and ---as a way of squaring the circle--- is a member of the Local Communication Council of that Cerdanyola del Vallès where, so many years ago, he made his first forays, succumbing to the irresistible call of the airwaves.
Barcelona, the city of 5,000 dawns
"From this city, I have spoken to the world, from Radio Barcelona, for 5,000 dawns. I was born in Sant Pau Hospital and every weekend I was taken to Sarrià or Camp Nou, which has helped me not to be a fan of anything or anyone. My two daughters were born here," explains the journalist, emphasizing his belonging to a city of which he is still enamored by what he defines as the Olympic miracle. "I am amazed by Barcelona's capacity to change its image, to look at the sea to which it had incomprehensibly been turning its back for so long. And, from that episode, I believe the contribution of the volunteers is especially commendable."
The journalist has recently published Líneas cruzadas, a thriller that delves into the recent history of a Catalonia made of big dreams, deafening silences, and half-truthsPerhaps it is this affection that unites him with the city where he no longer lives, but which he visits frequently, that prevents him from "blaming the great Barcelona for a few people having insisted on to throw overboard the welcoming and cosmopolitan, open and inclusive spirit of a modern and cultured city. Both those on one side and those on the other side of this polarization make a lot of noise, but in reality they are few and, even if they entered the ecstasy that the leaders of a sect enter, little by little they keep running into reality and the balloon of their arrogance deflates," he says, about to finish his vermouth.
But there's one sip left, just enough to raise the glass and propose a very special toast:
--- In these last visits to the city, I have perceived that the passion for living, for going out, the culture of tapas, of drinks, is recovering. Let's toast to that!
And Roberto Sánchez Ruiz finishes, now yes, his drink while winking and smiling, who knows if thinking about ordering that brunch he was talking about earlier.