Maitena: Birthday on a green plate

“On those nights, the kids eat a little while beforehand in the kitchen and only appear in the living room to say hello, overly polite and formal. Mom prepares dishes with French names and sets the table with three glasses for each of us.” When it was published in 2011, Maitena's novel Rumble wasn't associated with the autofiction or self-narratives so fashionable today.

So, what was unique was that its author was one of the most important illustrators in the country (and now in the world), with books translated into 15 languages and cartoons published in the main media outlets on the planet, including Clarín .

Rumble wasn't an autobiography, yet she, Maitena, appeared in it. "It's inspired by my family history, but it's fiction," she now clarifies. In that family of seven children, "not only were there no big birthdays, but my father didn't like giving gifts. He thought it was a waste of money. And when it was your birthday, they gave you the same clothes they'd bought because you needed them," she recalls.

And yet, there used to be a cake. “As a child, I remember walking into the kitchen and seeing this plate on the counter, and you knew the cake was coming. It was a clear symbol of anticipation of that delicious treat, of the celebration, of the candles, of the birthday ritual,” Maitena shares.

And he shows this green glass plate with a spiral base that concentrates, like witnesses of a happy time, dozens of children's birthday cakes in that family home.

Some time later, the plate arrived at Maitena's house. "I love it; I also use it for birthdays and family gatherings. And I love the moment I put it on the counter because it means celebration and friends."