El olvido que seremos
El olvido que seremos is a novel biography written by the Colombian author Héctor Abad Faciolince. The work —inspired by his father, the doctor, politician and professor Héctor Joaquín Abad Gómez— was published by the Planeta publishing house in 2005. After its release, the title had three additional editions, which was a reflection of its success. commercial. After some time, around forty more runs were made for printing.
Only in Colombia El olvido que seremos it reached more than 200.000 copies sold during the subsequent years. This is how, later, it became a cult text. At the same time, Héctor Abad Faciolince's book obtained editions in countries such as Mexico and Spain, making it one of the most widely read literary titles in all of Latin America.
Synopsis of El olvido que seremos
It all started with a poem
Poetry can be very powerful, as it has the ability to suggest images and make the reader immerse themselves in worlds imposed by the poet. This clearly occurs in The oblivion that we will be, as the name of this novel is inspired by a poem by the teacher Jorge Luis Borges: "Here today". The story around this fact is tragic, but it brought with it one of the most important titles of contemporary Latin American literature of the XNUMXst century.
The protagonist of this book is the author's father, Héctor Abad Gómez, a doctor who, for years, fought for human rights in his country. In 1987, after making several complaints against the paramilitary groups, he was assassinated. One of the curious events of this unfortunate event was a note that was found in one of the pockets of the deceased: the first verse of the sonnet of Borges.
A love letter to the father
At the time, the Czech author Franz Kafka, creator of famous classic works such as Metamorphosis (1912) o Contemplation (of the same year), wrote Letter to father (1919). This epistle emphatically portrays the tense relationship that Kafka had with his authoritarian and intimidating parent. As a contrast, El olvido que seremos, by Héctor Abad Faciolince, is a love letter, where the journalist puts himself in the shoes of the child he was, and reveals to the reader his most intimate and tender feelings.
This novel It is the non-linear chronicle of a life, since events are told in various time lines. The reason for this structuring is simple: it is the way in which Abad Faciolince remembers his father, which is why he decided to honor him that way. The heartfelt and evocative language used by the author throughout his creation is remarkable, which makes the text extremely intimate.
According to the writer, it took him almost twenty years to write his work. This is because of the emotional discomfort that memories of his childhood and youth still cause him. Among those traumatic events—in addition to the murder of his father—highlights the early death of his sister.
A biography made into a movie
Héctor Abad Faciolince affirms that he loved his father with a love that he did not feel again until the day his own children were born. This feeling, coupled with belonging to the family and the protection that it generates are embodied in fire on every page of the work.
Such was the commotion that the text produced that, a few years later, the author was proposed to shoot a feature film based on El olvido que seremos. At first, Abad Faciolince was suspicious of the idea, since the story that he forged in more than three hundred pages still arouses convulsive emotions in him. However, he later considered it better.
However, in the same way, the author thought that, if his novel was going to be made into a moviehe had to make sure that the director's chair was occupied by the Spanish Fernando Trueba. However, the renowned filmmaker, in the first instance, refused, not seeing himself capable of facing "such a good book".
Infinite love is a guaranteed success
Against all odds, the author convinced the director, and this resulted in the premiere of the film El olvido que seremos (2019) The film's script was written by David Trueba, who is the filmmaker's brother and an award-winning writer of film texts. The Abad family wept in their seats as Héctor's words and the story of his father, his people and his country came to life on the big screen.
Who was Hector Abad Gomez?
Héctor Joaquín Abad Gómez was a Colombian physician, university professor, human rights activist, and essayist. He was born in Jericó, Antioquia, Colombia, on December 2, 1921. In life, he belonged to the Colombian Liberal Party. His political affiliations, coupled with his activity as a disseminator and defender of new public health laws, made him a target for multiple enemies.
One day in 1987, in Medellín, Abad Gómez gave a speech in which he accused the paramilitary groups of being responsible for the kidnappings and disappearances of left-wing activists, politicians and social leaders, whom they accused of being insurgents. After several threats, the doctor was killed, leaving his wife and six children, including the author of the novel.
Here todayby Jorge Luis Borges
"We already are the oblivion that we will be.
The elemental dust that ignores us
and what was the red Adam and what is he now
all men and that we will not see.
We are already in the grave both dates
of the beginning and the end, the box,
the obscene corruption and the shroud,
the rites of death and dirges.
I'm not the fool who clings
to the magical sound of his name;
I think with hope of that man
who will not know that I was on earth.
Under the indifferent blue of the sky
this meditation is a consolation.”
About the author, Héctor Abad Faciolince
Hector Abad Faciolince
Héctor Abad Faciolince was born in 1958, in Medellín, Colombia. He did introductory courses such as Medicine, Literature, Philosophy and Journalism. In the end, he opted for Modern Languages and Literatures, graduating from the University of Turin, Italy.
Later, he worked as a communicator in the magazine Week. In 2008, the author became part of the newspaper team El Espectador, where he worked as an editorial consultant and columnist.
As a writer, Abad Faciolince has achieved several notable awards thanks to his works. Some of these recognitions are: National Short Story Award (1981); National Novel Scholarship (1994); and Simón Bolívar Prize for Opinion Journalism (1998). Outside of his native country, he has been awarded the Casa de América Award for Innovative Narrative (2000), in Spain.
However, one of his most important tributes was given to him in China. This is about the Award for Best Foreign Novel of the Year by narrow The oblivion that we will be.
Other books by Héctor Abad Faciolince
- Affairs of a dissolute hidalgo (1994);
- Fragments of furtive love (1998);
- Trash (2000);
- narrow (2004);
- The dawn of a husband (2008);
- The Hidden (2014);
- Except my heart, everything is fine (2022)