The newspaper’s literary supplement The country published this Friday a devastating criticism against The daughters of the Maid, the winning novel Planet Awardsigned by the journalist Sonsoles Onega. The terrible criticism that spreads the aforementioned newspaper is signed by Jordi Gracia García (Barcelona, 1965), essayist and Professor of Literature. The author sinks the winning work of the highest paid award in the Spanish language and charges against the members of the jury who award the Planeta.
“Narrative aberrations are continuous. The inconsistencies too. The capricious antics follow one another to delirious extremes,” reads the critic. “The effect left by this latest Planeta Award is devastating: it seems like an act of cultural transgression intrasystemic. Wonderful the capacity of The maid’s daughters for de-escalate downwards and without limit in the underground of the novel”, writes Jordi Gracia.
“Cosmic shame”
“As I read, sunk in misery and on the deck chair, I wondered if any of the jury members made the sacrifice of reading those 400 pages. Rosa Regàs or Carmen Posadas? Didn’t they feel a cosmic shame? What did the fine reader see Peter Gimferrer that has pushed your favorable vote? TO José Manuel Blecua Have not all the academic and non-academic demons taken away? What is the limit from which the reader of a jury is chloroformed or anesthetized in such a way that he renounces being who he is? “Says the author of the criticism.
“The feeling of ridicule is suffocating”
“The feeling of ridiculousness is suffocating. Because of the plot, because of the style, because of the prudery, because of the staleness, because of the simplicity, because of the arbitrariness, because of the absolute nothingness of a serial without even the category of serial,” he says before adding : “Someone has lost the nerve to reward a school essay of disturbing crudeness.”
Afterwards, he apologizes to the Planeta winner and journalist: “The popular presenter Sonsoles Ónega does not have the slightest responsibility in this calamity: she will have written the best novel she has ever known, as she has written and published many others,” she says in her article.
Jordi Gracia shoots at the seven members of the jury, whom he uses as “dereliction of duties”, and at the publisher, calling Planeta a “fraud so massive that it once again betrays the trust of a majority of Spaniards who want to read entertaining stories.” without necessarily navigating in moral and literary destitution”.
Letizia comforts her friend in public
But after such a setback, the presenter has received the support and public consolation of her friend Letizia, who visited her precisely in the Bookstore Day. This Saturday, hours after having started with the book signings in Madrid, the Queen arrived at the place where Sonsoles Ónega and Alfonso Goizueta, semi-finalist for the award, were meeting. They showed at all times their closeness, which dates back to the days when Felipe VI’s wife served as Sonsoles’ colleague.
The journalist would bend down to pick up a pen and then introduce her to her signing partner. The Queen placed her bag on the floor and, with a loving gesture, brushed a lock of Sonsoles’ hair from her face while he bent down to talk to her.
Seeing how excited the presenter was, Queen Letizia placed her hands on her shoulders, showing your support on this special day. But without a doubt, the most special moment arose when both of them merged in a loving hug, after which Queen Letizia squatted down to listen to Sonsoles’ words while caressing her back.
After finishing signing the copy he had in his hands for the Queen, Sonsoles stood up again and hugged the Queen again, a moment that was immortalized by those present, who did not take their eyes off him. The Queen took the opportunity to introduce a photographer to Sonsoles and the three began a conversation for several minutes before posing with Alfonso Goizueta in a photograph to remember.
The writer bowed his head in front of the Queen as a farewell and Queen Letizia apologized to those present for having paused the book signing. Without a doubt, on this occasion, we have been able to see the most human and close version of the Queen, which she wanted to share with Sonsoles Ónega on a day that both will remember forever.