“I’m in the cloud, it was something special,” admits Luz Gabas (1968), winner of the 2022 Planet Prize. “This recognition gives the writer great prestige. As I understand it. There will be those who think otherwise, but I think so.” The cloud in which she received us yesterday to give us an interview is filled with a million euro prize, the largest in the world, from which she became the first to take it home in full. “It’s true, but the money goes away, and the recognition remains forever. I, who is very far from home, my roots, my family, I know that my descendants will like it very much.”

His other house, the Planet publishing house, gave him everything with this award. “He gave it all to me the moment it was posted palm trees in the snow, for me it was a day, a moment of my life. What is not forgotten, it was the door, it was a ticket to a long journey. The rest is work, work, work. All the work, a lot of work,” he repeats.

The Aragonese writer is not afraid of the advertising marathon that the Planet Prize entails. The publisher puts a million on the author’s account, but hopes that several hundred thousand copies will reach the homes of the Spaniards from the moment of its publication. “I toured for many years, especially with Palmeras en la Nieve, I had to visit many reading clubs, many cities, many literary meetings. I covered many kilometers, many slippers,” he emphasizes.

A busy promotional trip will be with Far from Louisianawith which he returns to the historical novel. A drastic change from previous work, The heartbeat of the earthset in empty Spain. Planet Winner is set in the Americas, which between 1762 and 1803 was part of the Kingdom of Spain. The moment when the American War of Independence took place (1776-1783) and when the specified territory of Spain played a decisive role in the supply of weapons to the American rebels from the English colonies, with which dominant Spain bordered on a gigantic territory. Since that period, the figures of Fernando de Leib and Bernardo de Gálvez stand out for their decisive roles in American independence.

A little-known period in history that required a lot of documentation from Gabas and more than three years of work. “It was very difficult. This is a novel with many characters. The fact that the names of the commanders of the existing military positions appear. A lot of Europeans, a lot of Indian tribes, a lot of events, a lot of rebellions, and getting all the information in order to make sense was the work of a master.” He emphasizes that reading his novel will not be a history lesson, despite the fact that he claims to have learned a lot from Spanish Louisiana. His novel is a love story.

“There is a love story that forms the basis of the novel, set in a very specific context. The challenge with a novel like this is finding the balance and not turning it into a history lesson. For me, this is a novel about love and effort,” he defines.

The setting of the novel in colonial Louisiana is not an excuse for Gabas for an unknown part of Spanish history. “There is no intention to shed light on anything, I consider myself more of a teacher, I expose what happened and what we did not attach importance to, because we focused on South America, but it is very curious that almost a third of the current territory of the United States at that time was Spanish,” he emphasizes.

depoliticized history

There is no political reading behind his novel. “Every reading of history is an interpretation, and this should be the business of historians, regardless of their point of view and whatever their interpretation, and not of politicians. It should be studied by historians – and, of course, by everyone – but history cannot be used politically. Too much interference and you have to keep the spheres independent of politics. The question is, is it possible. Until now, the culture has remained on the sidelines. I hope it stays that way, because if we don’t get lost. Culture is one of the few strongholds of freedom,” he says.

The political game is very difficult, you have to be worthy, and it doesn’t suit me.

light gabs

Gabas was mayor of the PP of the Aragonese municipality of Benasque from 2011 to 2015. Something that was left far behind with her literary success. An experience he didn’t have good memories of. “Some of us entered politics with a too open mind. You understand that in the world of local politics you are not only solving problems, as you should be, but you are also participating in a political game that you do not understand. If there is a proposal in the mayor’s office, you must vote with common sense, and not with the instructions of this or that party. I didn’t like the admixture of big politics with local politics, the political game is very complicated, you have to be worthy and it doesn’t suit me,” he says.

He claims he is trying to depoliticize his personal environment. “He has reached a point of great tension. When I was young, a group of friends of different colors would get together and talk normally while drinking some beer. Now I feel a lot of tension if they are not all the same color and I don’t like it. I love variety, we all need to stop being aggressive.”