Xu Gonzalez. Interview with the author of A Clean Job

Photography: Xus González, Facebook profile.

Xus Gonzalez He made his debut in literature with Abandonar eljuego and released his second novel last February. titled a clean job, has garnered very good reviews and had a great reception by the readers. I will only say that, with half a year left to read, his novel will undoubtedly be among the best. East mosso d'esquadra born in Tarrasa knows very well what he writes and has marked a choral story as good as devilish reading. She has seen fit to grant me this interview where he tells us about her and several other issues. I thank you very much the time and courtesy dedicated.

Xus Gonzalez — Interview 

  • ACTUALIDAD LITERATURA: Tu segunda novela, publicada el pasado febrero, es Un trabajo limpio, que ha cosechado muy buenas críticas. ¿Qué nos puedes contar de ella y de dónde surgió la idea?  

XUS GONZALEZ:a clean job is one of those novels full of surprises, so telling about it far beyond the starting point runs the risk of advancing information to readers. Your starting point is basically a bank robbery that ends like the rosary of the dawn; from here, we know the agents charged with investigating the case, including Silvia Mercado and Saul Sanz (who, in addition to being partners, are also sentimental partners), as well as to a good number of criminals whose lives intersect with the investigation.

As some of you already know, I have been a Mosso d'Esquadra for more than 18 years, most of which stationed in research units. From the point of view of the police, there are a number of issues that really concern me and on which I have always liked to reflect. And those themes constitute the origin of my novels. In the case of a clean job, that origin is in the fact that ask myself how a policeman can become corrupted... and how far he is willing to go to cover his own back. Yes, I know I'm telling much more than I should, but you've asked me about the origin of the novel and, furthermore, the surprises don't just end there...

  • AL: Can you remember any of your first readings? And your first writing?

XG: The first readings I remember were stories and books that were forced to be read at school, like the Pitus Zoo o Jim Bottom and Lucas the Machinist. However, the first novel that made an impact on me, and the truth is that I read it when I was very young, was Ten Negritos by Agatha Christie.

Regarding my first writing, I recognize that they were scripts in my time of academicWhich of course got nowhere. At the novel level, it was years later, and that story hasn't come to fruition either (so far), although I do think about it from time to time.

  • AL: A leading author? You can choose more than one and from all periods. 

XG: There are many authors who have marked me, but, above all, the one I return to from time to time to reread it, is Elmore leonard. The characters in his novels, his dialogues, the action and the black humor that he dominates so well… He fascinates me.

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

XG: Well, speaking of Elmore Leonard, the truth is that I would have liked to meet chili palmer (How to conquer Hollywood), although I think that, being a policeman, he would not have liked me very much... Raylan Givens (Ready), which is from the guild. I would love to create a character like that.

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

XG: The truth is that I don't have many hobbies. To write, I usually do a first draft by hand and later, when I transfer it to the computer, I already begin to correct it. And then I correct and correct and correct, like everyone else. You have to be demanding. Regarding the readings, I like to go alternating black novel with essays, almost always from movies, as well as biographies.

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

XG: I like to write on the office from home, where I can concentrate well, and in silence. Work and family hours don't give me much respite, so I usually write in the night or by mornings when I work afternoons.

Leather it's something else. I usually do it for night, on the terrace (weather permitting) and smoking a cigar. 

  • AL: Are there other genres that you like? 

XG: The historical novel, although if it has some intrigue, much better. I also read samurai manga and comics of superheroes, although that goes on and on.

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

XG: I'm reading A mysterious flame by Philip Kerr, and about to start a continuation of a clean job.

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

XG: Let's see, the publishing scene is difficultWhy are we fooling ourselves? I consider myself privileged to have published in a publisher of the level of Reservoir Books, and even so I feel that it is very difficult to reach a large number of readers, that the novel is visible, that it is recommended. 

What made me decide to try to publish was the fact that wanting to explain police stories with the knowledge that I have of the matter in the first person, looking for realism over sensationalism, without the plot and entertainment being affected.

  • AL: Is the moment of crisis that we are experiencing being difficult for you or will you be able to keep something positive for future stories?

XG: It's a time difficult, and above all uncertain. And that is reflected in the daily life of the police, both patrolmen and investigators. we ran into situations that never cease to amaze us, and it is due to the fact that people, in the most desperate moments, act in a completely unpredictable way. And yes, of course, ideas for future stories are drawn from everything, however hard they may be.


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