Olivia Teroba explores the relationship between money and literary creation

The book of essays Money and writing (Sexto Piso), by Olivia Teroba, explores the existing and desired relationship between these two elements, as well as the problems that arise when literary creation becomes a commodity.

In interview with The Day Regarding the title that addresses personal finances, awards and the presence of the body and family inheritances in literature, the author spoke about the care of those who write, the duty to be and the appreciation of writing, the necessary rest and the reality of literary work.

Teroba (Tlaxcala, 1988) commented that money has to do with “how much one can build a space for oneself to write and dedicate oneself to this in a society where writing is not valued economically and one always has to find other ways to support oneself.

Money is like a necessary evil in this society, because that’s how it works; Within those limits it is a status symbol, but there are also sensations that have to do with having it or not having it, such as security in the future, trust and certain certainties.

The narrator added that we should think about writers and artists who received care from their families and that some died in misery. A myth around writing, which I am interested in reframing or considering illogical today, is that the sacrifice can be worth it; That is, one can sacrifice one’s mental health, time or body for the work, thinking that perhaps it will be something transcendent..

In her case, she commented that she sometimes asks the students in her workshops how they want their writing to be, something that she herself questioned: “What do I want to write, what do I want to say to the world, how am I going to say it, what are my goals?” capabilities and how far to go to continue expressing myself.

“It is knowing the type of literature I create, the idea I have of who might want to read me and dismantling myths such as that of success, which we sometimes relate to the numbers of how much has been earned in a book and which does not necessarily imply that there are a literary work.

It is understanding that this is how it is and that everyone is going to write where they want to aim, but in my writing I try to make it dialogue with literature. Being aware of it is one of my tools for dealing with what comes after writing.

The essayist said that her literature is linked to her body, which responds to the tools she uses to write and research. “Is he corpus What I feed on, what I like to write the most and what comes most easily to me because I’ve been exploring it for a while. In an ideal world, books could exist independently of their authors.

Regarding the duty of literature, he commented that it would be ideal have a fair remuneration for the work involved in making a text, for which the Mexican market is not completely readyin a job that is recharged in the obligation to make relationships, to be present in discussions, to talk about certain topics and not others.

He contrasted that the Literature is an act of freedom and the idea of ​​writing outside of this should also be allowed. I write in a very close relationship to my context and my body, but I think there are those who might not do so and in any case are constructing a kind of dialogue within their own theme and characteristics..

He acknowledged that it is proposed that it is a reminder that We are bodies that write and we need care and a part of this is rest. We return to the idea of ​​what an artist should be: a figure of sacrifice. I think you can think of it in another way, that like all jobs we consider for ourselves start and finish times and the payment of overtime..

Teroba recognized “that writing permeates all aspects of my life, but my proposal is to be aware of when it is exhaustion and allow the body to disconnect, rather to think against the idea of ​​constant productivity or merit.

I think that may all be poetic, but the question would be to what extent it is an intention to say something or it is simply satisfying a market need. I put these reflections here so that everyone can meditate, that is, I have my answers but the idea is how to open the dialogue.

Regarding the idea of ​​the reference and revered writer, the author of Breathe underwater He mentioned: “It seems to me to be something as mythical as a story, something that existed at some point, but that on its own is unsustainable. We would have to ask who cleans the mythical writer’s house and is in charge of the care tasks.

For example, in the case of Tomás Segovia and Inés Arredondo, where she was in charge of the children, we can notice in the volume of the work who had more time to write. It has to do with gender. The figure of an author who can stand on his own and has genius could exist, but we would have to ask ourselves at the cost of what or who he writes about.concluded Olivia Teroba.

The book of essays Money and writing It will be presented by its author and the narrator Dahlia de la Cerda, on Tuesday, July 2, at 7 p.m., at La Increíble Librería (Juan de la Barrera number 112, Colonia Condesa).