Blas Malo Poyatos. Interview with the author of Disdain and Fury

Blas Malo Poyatos He is from La Mancha, a civil engineer and a writer, also passionate about history, especially the Byzantine Empire and the Middle Ages. He has already published a few novels, among others, The Lord of Castile, The Venetian o the keeper of words. the last one is Lope de Vega. Disdain and fury. I really appreciate your time and kindness for this interview in which he talks about her and many other topics.

Blas Malo Poyatos - Interview

• ACTUALIDAD LITERATURA: The title of your latest book is Lope de Vega. disdain and fury. What do you tell us about it and where did the idea come from?

BLAS BAD POYATOS: Novelo the life of Lope de Vega, in his time of maturity and confrontation in Madrid with the authors who defended the ancient art of writing, especially against Miguel de Cervantes. Their enmity spread to all levels, dividing the city and the court between followers of Lope and followers of Cervantes. Others involved were Quevedo and Góngora. The idea arose in 2005 with the 400th anniversary of the publication of Don Quijote of the stainof Cervantes. Everyone spoke of Cervantes. I wanted to defend Lope's memory.

• AL: Can you go back to that first book you read? And the first story you wrote?

BMP: The oldest that I remember clearly is The island of the treasure, by Stevenson, an edition of the defunct Editorial Everest with fabulous images, and of course, my first story was inspired by her. He had a skeleton, a lost treasure, a boy who found it. I wrote it when I was 10 years old.

• AL: A head writer? You can choose more than one and from all eras.

BMP: I distinguish between living authors and dead authors. Many can be recommended, to choose some is to discard the others. Very influential in me are JRR Tolkien and isaac Asimov. More modern, Steven saylor, Joseph soto girl y Sebastian Roa. Among the classics, which you have to enjoy and learn, right now I would recommend Gustave Flaubert.

• AL: What character in a book would you have liked to meet and create?

bmp: Sinuhe, creation of Mika waltari From what appears to be an Egyptian character that existed. Y Claudius the Emperor, brilliantly crafted by Robert Graves.

• AL: Any special habits or habits when it comes to writing or reading?

BMP: For read needed silence. For writeI need it to be from night. They are customs that have become fossilized. I have a hard time reading with noise or writing during the day. However, studying to document myself does not require silence or those schedules.

• AL: And your preferred place and time to do it?

BMP: I don't care about the site as long as it is comfortable and the above is fulfilled. At home, I write better when everyone else is either gone or asleep. I can't stand being interrupted when I'm creating. I have two small children, it is difficult to find the right time.

• AL: Are there other genres that you like?

BMP: I still have a taste for science fiction. And I would like to read much more, adventure spy novelsLike Clive Cussler's. They are very entertaining. and read more classical. But I don't have time for so many pending things.

• AL: What are you reading now? And writing?

BMP: Now I'm reading Gustave's novels Flaubert, while I listen to lectures about him and his writing, because I find him a fascinating man as a writer. And the different books of Marco Tulio Cicero, which are amazing. Typing, I am now in the Middle Ages.

• AL: How do you think the publishing scene is and what decided you to try to publish?

BMP: As always, it is saturated with manuscripts. But a good manuscript finds an editor, sooner or later. Everyone has the ego to want to see their book among others in bookstores, that's how it is. That a book entrepreneur risks publishing me is a compliment to me. This is how it should be.

• Is the moment of crisis that we are experiencing being difficult for you or can you keep something positive for future stories?

BMP: I am lucky. No one in my family has died from covid. My life has not changed for the worse, but for the better, because recently I became a father again and now there are four of us at home. You have to keep livingwhether there is covid or not. Whoever doesn't think like that should go to the cemetery to bury himself and stay in peace.