Santiago Díaz is committed to “normalize” the figure of a gypsy police in his novel ‘Jotadé’

The author Santiago Díaz publica ‘Jotadé’ (Alfaguara), the first novel in a series of three books in which the protagonist is the sub -inspector Jotadé Cortés, a gypsy police, and ensures that he does not try to reinforce stereotypes about the gypsies, but that he portrays in fiction “normality” of what he can find,

In an interview with Europa Press, he says that the character gives him “many nuances” for his “maladjustment” and inner world.

“It is something we live with. Like when the Italians, in their day, they complained that in the films of Italian immigrants in New York they were portrayed as mafia, when most were not. But it is what attracts our attention to those who are telling this type of stories. It is not that it is necessary to portray them“He pointed out.

In line, he explained that he was looking for a character to “carry the problems on top” instead of finding them.

“I chose Jotadé as a gypsy because I was looking for a character who did not meet the problems, but always carried them on top. And being a gypsy and police is a problem, because in the police station nobody trusts him because he is gypsy, that prejudice. But it is that in his community nobody trusts him because he is a policeman“The writer added.

Precisely, the author argues that he has played with “morality and political correction” in this book because it is fiction and has assured that “the worst” that an author can do is self -centered.

“The novelists have to, as a friend of mine said, walking on little traveled roads. If you do the same as everyone and do not play it, do not get into puddles, surely do not stand out. You have to get into puddles, in trouble, sometimes it goes well and sometimes it goes wrong, but the self -censorship is the worst thing that a screenwriter can have,” he said.

Díaz, who presents this novel on March 20 at the Lázaro Galdiano Museum, thus begins a new saga after his trilogy starring Inspector Indira Ramos. He continues in the Thriller genre, in which he turns his knowledge as a film and television screenwriter.

“The platforms allow you to see the chapters you want, but a few years ago you had the weekly broadcast on TV with advertising cuts. So that people did not leave in the advertising cuts, you had to always keep the story very high, finish each sequence at the top. That learning, being at the foot of the cannon making history progress and making things happen, I have inherited it for the novels, “he explained to defend the numerous plot turns in ‘Jotadé’.

In addition, the author uses several subtramas-hence also of his time as a screenwriter-to lighten and “lower pulsations” of the most violent parts of ‘Jotadé’, reflected through problems with drugs and mafias or murders.