Diario NCO spoke with the Buenos Aires writer Laura Roa to delve into the details of her book of short stories.
By Florencia Belén Mogno.
The art of telling stories has accompanied and continues to accompany humanity since time immemorial, as a reflection of each era and of social and cultural changes. Literature, in particular, has always been a vehicle capable of capturing the essence of each generation, and an eternal testimony of history and societies.
Today, the interconnection between artistic disciplines has given rise to new narrative forms, where music plays a key role in the construction of literary stories. In this regard, songs have served as another tool for many writers who nourish their stories with these contributions.
In this context, the particular case of “And My Hands Bleed” stands out, the book by the Argentine writer Laura Roa, which collects influences from the songs of Charly García. Diario NCO spoke with the writer to learn details about the origin of the book, the writing process and its link to literature.
From reading to writing
“Y Me Sangran Las Manos” is a book that is available in both print and digital format and is a compilation of short stories that also proposes a fusion between cosmopolitan and national culture and is an invitation for readers to “open their imagination”
Regarding how the idea of making the book came about, Roa commented: “I have always been a great reader since I was little, and literature was a constant passion in my life. From a very young age, I participated in literary workshops. However, in the last workshop I did with playwright Susana Torres Molina, I began to develop ideas for stories.”
In this regard, the author said that at first she did not think that her ideas would constitute a book, but finally her stories began to take more shape and little by little they became the material that would give life to her work.
At this point, the interviewee spoke about how the workshop was a key factor in the development of her book. “It was essential to mature certain ideas and find my narrative style. In this process I managed to define my own voice and thus “Y Me Sangran Las Manos” is a book of short stories with simple stories, inspired by music and the experiences of a person who always lived in tune with words,” she described.
Between pages and songs
On the other hand, Roa also provided details about the way she carried out the creative process to give birth to the book and also delved into how her work dynamic usually develops when writing
In that sense, the writer explained that “during the literary workshop I was developing ideas linked to the fantastic, to what breaks with the ordinary and becomes extraordinary. From there, I joined those ideas with specific phrases from Charly García songs that inspired particular stories in me.”
“These are not stories based on whole songs, but on fragments of lyrics that evoked situations or emotions in me. I think that, for those of us who grew up with her music, her songs function as hymns that accompany us and remind us of important moments in our lives,” the author added.
Along these lines and from a more general perspective, Roa gave more details about how inspiration comes to her and how she approaches the writing process once she has the ideas ready to bring a text to life.
In this regard, the interviewee said: “My inspiration is constant. I love movies, series and music, and all of that feeds my creativity. I am always observing, imagining situations, thinking about characters and how they might react in different scenarios.”
“I also travel a lot and enjoy getting to know new places and people. Every experience, no matter how small, can become a story. Despite everything, I take care not to let myself be influenced by things that I consider negative,” she summarized.
Relaunch and expectations for the future
“Y Me Sangran Las Manos” is available in paper and digital format and at this moment there is a “relaunch” of said work which keeps its author Laura Roa with many expectations and future plans regarding her book.
At this point, the interviewee recalled that “when the book came out, the pandemic made its dissemination difficult. Now I hope that more people can get to know it and discover my way of narrating. My great objective is to overcome the barrier of writing only for my close circle and reach unknown readers. It is a challenge because literature is very direct: you like it or you don’t like it. But beyond that, the important thing is that the book is already in the world and now each reader will decide if they identify with my way of telling stories.”
Finally, Roa reflected on the importance that writing has in her
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