Is Gabo more translated than Cervantes? Yes, the advantage is for the Colombian in this century. But Cervantes is a classic of universal literature, the creator of the modern novel, a ‘demi-god’, recalls Albert Bensoussan. And the important thing is that Spanish, on both sides of the ocean, continue to attract millions of readers, says Martin Gómez.
We are talking about the readers of Cervantes and Garcia Márquez. Because the Colombian Nobel has surpassed the Spanish classic, according to a survey by the Cervantes Institute. Gabo is the author most translated from Spanish into other languages, above Cervantes, if the period between 2000 and 2021 is taken into account.
We interviewed the translator Albert Bensoussan and the Colombian independent editor Martin Gómez on this topic.
Here in Paris, not far from our radius, there is a store that sells Latin American products, among others, Argentine mate, Dominican guarianas and Colombian coffee. The station heard there is not French, but Colombian: bachata, merengue, salsa.
Many migrants living in Europe continue to listen to the radios from their land.
But not all the time. And this for an obvious reason: they also need to find out what is happening in the host country. They need to know whether or not there is a strike the next day, for example. Or what procedures must be done to obtain nationality. Community media have been created for this audience.
They are the media of the diaspora. The “diasporic” media. This is what Adriana Patiño, a Colombian linguist living in the United Kingdom, calls them. She has done research on three migrant radio stations in London that broadcast in Spanish. We interviewed her about the work carried out by these media in the British capital.
