Infinity in a reed

Infinity in a reed

Infinity in a reed

Infinity in a reed is an essay prepared by the Zaragozan writer and philologist Irene Vallejo. Published in 2019, this text recalls in detail the history of the creation and evolution of the book through the centuries. A year later, thanks to its success and acceptance, the work received several awards, among which are: the Spanish National Essay Award and Critical Eye for Narrative.

With this essay, the author's career was catapulted, managed to exceed 200.000 copies sold and quickly become a best seller. His work enjoyed great approval on Spanish soil, which allowed its internationalization, having been translated into more than 30 languages ​​so far.

Infinity in a reed (2019)

It is a story of more than 400 pages, which narrates the invention of the book, part of its development and important events during its history. In this work approximately 3000 years of events are described, between the past and the present. Essay va since the creation of the first book, the first libraries and readers of the ancient world, to the present.

With this work, the author managed to be the fifth woman to win the Spanish National Essay award. (2020), in addition to receiving excellent comments. Among the compliments, the words of Mario Vargas Llosa stand out: “Very well written, with really admirable pages; the love of books and reading are the atmosphere in which the pages of this masterpiece pass ”.

A story that was born in the midst of difficulty

The author was going through a difficult family time When he began to write this book, his son was very ill. For many months he lived in a hospital with his little one, amid dozens of medical treatments, chemotherapies, needles and blue gowns.

However Irene once again took refuge in literature, this time writing her own essay. While being relieved by her husband, she would go home, grab her notebook, and start writing. In this way, the litterat had a moment of tranquility and peace, away from that worry of the moment. Without even suspecting that he would be writing the success that would change their lives.

A different and complete story

Many catalog Infinity in a reed as an extraordinary and exceptional essay, since its content is complete and varied. In it, it is possible to find common and traditional details such as humor, poetry, narrations, rural stories, biographies, journalistic fragments and etymologies. In addition to great historical scenes present during that extensive trajectory of more than 30 centuries.

The name that the writer originally wanted to give the essay was: A mysterious loyalty, to pay tribute to Borges. But it was modified at the suggestion of the publishing house, this time referring to Pascal, who pointed out that human beings were “thinking reeds”.

Composition:

The work contains 2 parts; the first: Greece imagines the future, with 15 complete chapters inside. There, the story runs through various settings: the life and work of Homer, the battlefields of Alexander the Great, the great Library of Alexandria — its glory and destruction — Cleopatra. Also, the difficult times of the time and the achievements: the beginning of the alphabet, the first book and the traveling bookstores.

Then you have the second segment: The roads of Rome. This section contains 19 chapters, among which are: "Poor Writers, Rich Readers"; "Librero: risk trade"; "Ovid collides with censorship"; and "Canon: history of a reed". The writer confesses that there was a third party that went as far as the invention of the printing press, but decided to keep that content, as it would make the essay very long.

Synopsis

It is an essay that walks through the elaboration of the book through different materials, such as: smoke, stone, clay, reeds, pottery, papyrus, parchment, and light. What's more, also recounts historical events in which they are described: battlefields, volcano eruptions, Greek palaces, the beginnings of libraries and places to make handwritten copies.

During the story different characters emerge and interact, who must overcome a considerable number of adversities to safeguard the books. These are not superheroes, but ordinary people: teachers, salespeople, scribes, storytellers, rebels, translators, slaves, among others.

Likewise, it speaks of contemporary history; An important part of the struggles that concern the literary theme are exposed. A complete account of the various stages that books went through in their process of survival as one of the most essential means of disseminating knowledge.

About the author

In 1979, the city of Zaragoza saw the birth of Irene Somoza. From a very young age she developed a bond with books, as a result of her parents reading and telling stories to her before going to sleep. At 6 he met The odyssey, his father related it to him night after night as a story, and from there she is a fan of stories about mythology.

In his school age was a victim of bullying by his fellow students, who even caused him physical abuse. His family was fundamental support at this stage, although his main refuge were books. For Irene, coming home and reading was seen as a kind of salvation.

Professional Studies

The writer did his studies higher then  en universities of Zaragoza and Florence, where he graduated and later obtained a doctorate in Classical philology. After completing his career, he has dedicated himself to deepening and disseminating everything related to the classics of literature.

Private life

The litterat is married to film producer Enrique Mora, with whom he has a son named Pedro.

Jobs

In addition to her work as a writer and philologist, she worked as a teacher at various universities in the country. At the moment, writes articles for Spanish newspapers El País y Heraldo de Aragón, in which ancient wisdom intertwines with modern themes. Several of these reviews were compiled in two of his works: The past that awaits you (2008) and Someone talked about us (2010)

Literary race

The writer has to her credit 8 books, his first post was: The buried light, a thriller that was released in 2011. Later, he dabbled in literature for children and young people, with The inventor of travel (2014) and The legend of the gentle tides (2015). He continued with: The whistle of the archer, a love and adventure story published in 2015.

His latest book arrived in 2019: Infinity in a reed, y in a short time it became bestseller. This essay has been awarded multiple times since its release. In addition to the Critical Eye of Narrative (2019) and National Essay (2020), he also obtained the distinctions: Los Libreros Recommend (2020), José Antonio Labordeta Prize for Literature (2020) and Aragón Prize 2021.

Works

  • Library and critical-literary terminology in Marcial (2008)
  • The past that awaits you (2010)
  • The buried light (2011)
  • The inventor of travel (2014)
  • The legend of the gentle tides (2015)
  • The archer's whistle (2015)
  • Someone talked about us (2017)
  • Infinity in a reed (2019)

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