Diez Negritos – A communal blog shared by 13 Spanish-speaking writers Translated into English by Jeffrey Tabberner
Under the guidance of the French literary expert, critic and author Sébastien Rutés, a group of ten Spanish (crime) writers decided in March 2009 to set up a communal blog. These were Paco Ignacio Taibo II, Antonio Lozano, Carlos Salem, Eduardo Monteverde, Juan Hernández Luna, Lorenzo Lunar, Rebeca Mugra, Sébastien Rutés, Jorge Belarmino Fernández and Juan Ramón Biedma. During the summer the Spanish author Cristina Fallarás, the Italian Bruno Arpaia und der Mexican Jorge Moch joined them, so that the ‚ten little niggers’ became thirteen.
With the title ‘Diez Negritos’ the authors are not referring to the children’s song, but to the novel by Agatha Christie, Ten Little Niggers. Beyond that, ‘Negritos’ refers to the writers of ‚novelas negras’ (‘black novels’).
The communal blog is primarily a space for discussion about crime novels, but it also features many related themes. The authors regularly publish essays, stories, poems, photos, drawings, paintings, commentaries, autobiographical notes, etc. Under the title ‘collective blog’, all the contributors exchange ideas on the theme of crime literature. In addition, each author has his or her own blog, on which they can discuss other concerns.
Un cadáver asqueroso
As one might expect within such a project, the Negritos are getting together to write an on-line crime novel. With an ironic nod to the Surrealist concept of the ‘exquisite corpse’, they entitle their communal novel ‘A Disgusting Corpse’; and in fact, in the first chapter a court doctor presents to us an inexplicably revolting corpse in a city which has features of many others, without being any of them. The first chapter came from Carlos Salem, and this appeared on 2 September. Over the next months there will be contributions from Eduardo Monteverde, Cristina Fallarás, Lorenzo Lunar, Jorge Belarmino Fernández, Juan Ramón Biedma and Rebeca Murga. How it will go on from there, the Negritos have not made clear. Following the dictum of Paco Ignacio Taibo II (‘Anarchy is the only natural order.’), the chapters will appear at random intervals, not adhering to any previously prepared plan, and will doubtless conceal some surprises.
The Diez Negrinos blog is supported by the French publisher L’Atinoir, under which some of the member authors (Taibo II, Monteverde, Hernández Luna, Lunar, Lozano and Rutés) publish their work in French translation.
More information about the authors is available on the publisher’s website:
http://www.latinoir.com/principal.htm |
