Leire Escalada is a journalist and a Lecturer of Writing at the University of Navarra (Spain). She is very interested in literature of memory and nonfiction literature, as well as in short stories.
What does reading mean to you?
I think I was a reader even before I knew how to read because my parents used to tell my brother and me stories every night before bed. When I was very little, I tried to memorize those stories and then I would grab a book and turn the pages, pretending I could already read. So books have always played an important role in my life. I believe that through the beauty and power of words, reading allows us to get closer to the experiences and emotions of others, and to know our own in a deeper way. Books are also companions, a place to take shelter when it is raining.
Which book has made an impact on your life?
Many books have left a significant mark on me. One of my favorites is Sostiene Pereira by Antonio Tabucchi, one of those novels I wish I had written. Not only because, narratively, I find it perfect, for the originality of its structure and its wonderful characters, but also because it beautifully portrays and defends ethical and political commitment in the face of totalitarianism. Pereira, a catholic journalist, widower, cardiopath, and melancholic man who works in the cultural section of a Lisbon newspaper during Salazar’s dictatorship, is one of those characters who become heroes without seeking it. When I read this novel a second time, it was like reuniting with an old friend or mentor.
Would you recommend this book to students – and if not, would you recommend a different one?
I highly recommend it. I think it’s a novel young people can connect with from the very first pages, both because of its style and its plot. I also believe they can identify with Monteiro Rossi, the idealistic young man who arrives at the Lisboa newspaper as an apprentice and turns Pereira’s life upside down. If they are lucky enough to read it in Lisbon, walking through the streets where the story takes place, the experience is unforgettable!
Has going to university or becoming a university professor changed how you read? Is reading for pleasure the same as reading for disciplinary purposes?
Absolutely. Studying Journalism brought me closer to very different books, many of them classics, and taught me to read critically. University trains critical thinking, for which it is key to develop a reading perspective that pays attention to matters beyond pure entertainment, which, of course, is also essential. You have to read for pleasure. I fondly remember the passion my Literature professor conveyed to us when we read The Catcher in the Rye or Wuthering Heights, or the first time I was dazzled by a Carver short story. A reader is always learning and university is the perfect community to grow academically and personally.
As a lecturer, sharing readings and reflections with my students and guiding them in writing their first stories is a privilege and a constant learning process. And although reading for professional reasons sometimes differs a lot from reading for pleasure (deadlines and relaxed reading are rarely good friends), I feel very fortunate: I have the chance to teach writing stories, so I always have close the books of writers I admire and enjoy, such as Natalia Ginzburg, Richard Ford, or Jhumpa Lahiri.
Match favourite reading moments, referring to a place or a situation.
I like flying and I love reading on planes because time stops and I can disconnect from everything. I also love reading while drinking tea or mate, the typical Argentine drink, which requires a certain ritual of pause and calm, very conducive to pleasurable reading. And, of course, every night in bed before sleeping.