Dialogue alone with Gabriel Banez
By Augusto Munaro / Special to
Viceversa "Humor is my appeal to the desperate poor" Viceversa
offers in today's edition an interview with the author of the novel "The fissure of Rolando," recently won a contest Literary Award Letter Sur International Novel. "
writer and journalist Gabriel Banez (La Plata, 1951), it's who recently won the literary competition "International Fiction Prize South lyrics, organized by the Group Day of the province of Chubut and publisher The Athenaeum, the book "The fissure of Rolando." The jury composed by Martin Kohan, Claudia Piñeiro and Juan Sasturain, selected his work among a total of 293 candidates submitted from various provinces and abroad, besides giving subsequent publication, the sum of 50 thousand pesos.
"The fissure of Rolando", is a medical term for locate the brain region that separates the front parietal lobe, and also is the name of the protagonist of the novel. Divided into two parts: the first deals with the unique childhood and adolescence of the character, that being prevented from talking, learning shorthand to communicate. The second and final part of the story, takes the vicissitudes of Rolando, and adult and engineer, after going to a Lacanian therapy, whose hilarious results make this book a satire of unquestionable value. Author of a dozen novels, Banez is also a columnist for "The Day" and is in charge of the literary section of the newspaper. Own a sparse style, his writing is given to a very particular expressive plasticity. At other times sober and cynical, the novel does represent much more than the grotesque adventures of an aphasic. There are echoes of Swift Banez, Arturo Cancela, of Bernardo Jobson. A caustic humor that makes her writing deeply human, it lays bare its defects strictly educational nonprofit. The book provides, in turn, the picture of an entire society and historical period, the current Argentina to legarnos above all, a subtle tribute to the language.
- What prompted you to write "The fissure of Rolando" in first person and a player who loses speech?
- The first person of Roland is the tare. Let note that one perspective, narrative is not a technical matter of conscience if not: where I stand in relation to what they'll tell you how much of me is involved, how far I am or how it affects me, and so on.
- Rolando's silence, language disorder or illness, is symbolic in more ways than one?
- Everything is symbolic, the language itself is spelling and command designator. Tropics or involving transfer language also acquires new designations reference. Vulgar words that designate things and then mutate: bullet, we think. But if someone says "that guy is bullet or pellet," well, things change. Now in Rolando the suspected disorder becomes negative connotation in those around him. The character, upside down, than from other languages.
-Draws attention to addressing the solvency concepts of electricity, shorthand and neurology. Did some research work for this?
- No, no idea. Word: I have no idea what an electron or an electromagnetic cell. That no knowing what women applied to the character because nobody does not know what is a woman. And as we know it's late. Men are always late for everything.
- In his particular humor characteristic of his writing, what exactly is the share of cynicism?
- The share of cynicism, I have said, I becomes unbearable. I, however, be assessed on achievement and take it easy installments daily, sometimes monthly. It depends. That makes it bearable. However, it is part of my vulnerability, the type that I am extremely precarious. Humor is my appeal to the desperate poor.
- Banez, is Rolando bitter, paranoid, you can describe your personality?
- Rolando is a fatally naive character, notes of resentment that can warn you are kicking some common places: models or actresses who adopt children in Nairobi. Mockery, Rolando of the second part, the transfer to our border with Bolivia. Disgusts me that people are moved de a ratos ante la miseria. Como la paranoia: Rolando es “de a ratos paranoico”. En esencia, no obstante, yo diría que es un ingenuo.
- En un pasaje de la novela, el protagonista dice “uno jamás escribe lo que quiere decir ni dice lo que verdaderamente siente”. ¿Comparte usted esa afirmación?
- Sí, la comparto de a ratos. No siempre uno dice lo que dice ni tampoco lo que siente. Cree estar diciéndolo. Ese convencimiento o noción es la mayor trampa del lenguaje. Somos víctimas del lenguaje, él nos construye así como nos retiene. Nos moldea y nos hace creyentes. La mejor trampa del lenguaje es idéntica a la del diablo. Pero convivimos con él, y más: madre es lenguaje, father is writing.
- you once said that writing "The fissure of Rolando" quietly learned to doubt his self referential. Why?
- Discreetly I learned to doubt the self referential because there is nothing more liar than me. Perhaps the most pure fiction in the strict sense of the term lato are autobiographies. You say or write me and let the brand and initiation of lying, of language. The writing, the mask.
- Winning this award would condition in some way, his writing future works?, Why?
- I do not think: I always write and re-turning dysfunction. I do not think me that the prize becomes functional at all. Then, you write what you can. I envy those who can write about anything. Those are real writers. I'm just a disassociated pointer that tells me, Gabriel Banez, say. Although the names end up running on their hosts.
- When you wrote the book, what were the priorities considered essential to preserve and explore?
- The failure of writing, some cracks that sensed and left intact during the correction process. Conversation with José Donoso, he said: "There are fault lines that appear in writing and these are true, they should be left intact." I believe it. For those areas breathes the text, more organic, anarchic failed and the novel, in this case. That's why I admire so much as a minor writer John Fante: he leaves his failure to look at, the stitching, basting. Let's say I'm a dumb son of Fante.
- The novel helped him refine his stance towards Lacanian therapy?
- The novel is a nuance. I have no position on the Lacanian therapy. I think, yes, a wonderful literature. But there is cynicism in this statement, on the contrary. There is admiration. The rigor of Lacan is born to have found cracks, faults in the language. To me, they work. And because they do perform admirably vulgarity, his son here, and oral literature epigonal fascinatingly over here.
- In an interview you said that his novels were related to the dysfunction that lies throughout the culture. Could you explain why?
- Because culture is the disease.
April 21 
