Fantastic Metropolis

Gabriel Mesa: I understand that you were recently at the fantastic literature convention WisCon that is held annually in Madison, Wisconsin. WisCon is known in particular for its feminist leanings. Could you tell us a bit about the convention? Did you participate in any of the panels? Did you meet again with Ursula Le Guin? Did you meet other writers?

Angélica Gorodischer: I had a wonderful time at WisCon 27. I felt comfortable, appreciated, among my peers. And of course, the fact that there is this feminist emphasis is good for my immortal soul and tells me that not all is lost. The convention I felt was wonderful and of an exceptional level. I participated in a panel on Exile, I read two of my stories in public and I gave a talk on madness called “Madness is a Flower in Flames”. My Spanish and my American editors were both there, so I felt like Cleopatra Queen of Egypt. The feeling went away immediately, of course, but those things are good for one’s self-esteem. And meeting Ursula again was one of the greatest luxuries. It was the second time we’d met. I didn’t meet many people but those I did meet were the best: Kelly Link, Justine Larbalestier and others.

Gabriel Mesa: Argentina is living today a tremendous economic crisis as a result of the devaluation of the currency and its external debt. To what extent has this affected the nation’s rich cultural life, in particular in the literary field?

Angélica Gorodischer: The cultural life of Argentina practically does not exist if you look at it from the point of view of an official program. There are no cultural policies, there is no money to sustain theater or visual arts or anything. But a few times you see a flowering like the one we’re experiencing in Argentina in the areas of music, theater, film, literature. Without media, without sponsors, without backers, things are still getting done. Books are published, there are free concerts, the painters lower their prices and hold fairs so everyone can buy a little art. With no money and supported only by Cultural Center of Rosario and the MALBA Museum of Buenos Aires, I organized last year a Congress of Latin American Women Writers that was an incredible success. And so it is with everything: art and literature are within people’s reach. But in all this there is an advantage: they have stolen everything from us—our money, our future, public education, work, everything except culture. And they can’t steal this from us because it doesn’t interest them. And it doesn’t interest them because they don’t understand what it’s about. But those of us who write or paint or sculpt or make movies, this is something that we do understand.

Gabriel Mesa: Thank you very much, Angélica.

Gabriel Mesa lives in New York City with his wife and daughter and 4,000 books. He grew up reading in both English and Spanish.