En Actualidad Literatura We have had the great pleasure of being able to carry out this interview with Marwan, who has been friendly and open at all times since we contacted him. Tomorrow his new book goes on sale "All my futures are with you" from the Planeta publishing house, and its title already promises ... We leave you with your answers to our questions.
Actualidad Literatura: We know your name, Marwan; we know that he is dedicated to music and writing, so we could say in general terms that he is an artist, but how does Marwan define himself?
Marwan: Defining yourself is impossible because people have many facets, but hey, my definition is this: I try to be a good person.
AL: We know that so far he has published two books, "The sad story about your body over mine" in 2011 and "Notes about my time in winter" in 2014. Tomorrow his new book "All my futures are with you." What can we find different in this book compared to the previous two?
MW: The first thing is that I think that every time I write better. I am a newbie to writing books and the first one is much more naive than this one. Of course, it is also more visceral and that has its positive parts. In this book that I publish now I have taken much more care of the rhythm, the division of verses, I write about more varied topics, there is a lot of love and heartbreak poetry as in the first one but there is also a lot of social poetry, more reflection, it is a much more book long and apart it has many aphorisms or micro-poems, something that in the previous book it hardly had.
AL: How much do you spend writing and composing on a day-to-day basis when you are not on tour? Do you have any special rituals or hobbies you need to do before you get down to it?
MW: Depends. sometimes all day and sometimes nothing in a week. Of course, when I wear I wear. I think the most positive thing is to set dates to focus and when I focus I do not stop writing. I have no rituals of any kind, I can write anywhere, anytime. The verses come if you look for them but they also come at any time and circumstance.
AL: If you were given the choice between continuing to compose and sing or to continue writing for book publishing, what would Marwan choose?
MW: Compose and sing. I think it is a superior language. But come on, that's never going to happen, so I'll keep doing everything, because both things make me happy.
AL: I suppose they have related or compared you at some point in your career with Ismael Serrano or Jorge Drexler, because they are also both singer-songwriters and write about love and heartbreak… What do you think about them? Have you followed them at some point in your life or have they marked you musically when composing?
MW: Both have marked me a lot in my way of composing. I have listened to both of them for more than 15 years and I am a total fan of both, for their way of counting and singing. For me they are two of my main references, they always have been.
AL: We continue for your music, which cities will you visit soon? And which one are you looking forward to singing but haven't been able to sing yet?
MW: Right now I am going to Santiago de Compostela and then a mini-tour of Mexico that we have reduced to be able to return to the Madrid book fair, but I will return in November. In June I will be in Zaragoza, Murcia and Cartagena and in July I will do the most important concert of the tour. It will be in Madrid, in the Los Veranos de la Villa cycle at Circo Price. I invite everyone, regardless of the city, to come, because it is going to be a show, that's for sure.
AL: Do you have any special affection for a specific song or poetry of yours? And because?
MW: To songs to many: Angels, "Since you sleep next to me", "Song to my father",… I like all my songs but there are some that move me especially and these are some of them. And of my poems I love a new one called "Companions", another call "The word Mary", «Start to explain it»; "Continents"Etc. ...
AL: Which writer or writers can't you stop following and have each and every one of their books? If it is not a particular book, which book do you have as a favorite?
MW: There are many. I am passionate about Juan José Millás, I have read many of his books. Also Quim Monzó, Alssandro Baricco, Benjamín Prado, Luis García Montero, Karmelo C. Iribarren, Murakami, Bukowski,… I have read many books by each of these authors. My favorite book I think is "Libertad" by Jonathan Franzen, although «Ocean Sea» I loved Baricco too.
AL: Finally, Marwan, a place to fall in love, a place to lose yourself in solitude and another to discover for its particular beauty.
MW: To fall in love, any place is good. But if you ask me about a place that makes me fall in love, I think the answer is Formentera. The best place to get lost is Madrid and because of its beauty the most spectacular thing I have seen is the Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina.
Thank you very much Marwan for each of your words expressed here and from Actualidad Literatura We wish you the best of luck in everything you undertake.