Pablo Gómez Borbón addresses politics and history in his new book
February 25 is an emblematic date in the Dominican Republic, as it marks the birth of the patrician Matías Ramón Mella.
Therefore, it was the ideal date to celebrate the release of "Yo, Balaguer", the most recent work by the acclaimed Dominican writer Pablo Gómez Borbón .
Gómez Borbón, recognized for his work "Morir en Bruselas", winner of the "Eduardo León Jimenes 2022 National Book Fair Award", returns to the literary scene with his new historical novel that seeks to explore the lights and shadows of one of the most controversial figures in Dominican history.
Here the writer talks about the creation of this work and reflects on his literary career, the challenges of writing about historical figures and the impact of his work on national literature.
I think it is the characters who choose the writer . I mean, I don't know why I decided to write about Balaguer and not about, say, Bosch or Peña Gómez. It was probably influenced by the fact that Balaguer was an enigmatic human being: the hidden always invites discovery.
Two factors have allowed me to write this novel without resorting to extremism .
The first is temporal; the second, geographical. As the years go by, youthful impetus turns into reflection. During my childhood and early youth I was radically anti-Balaguerist for one basic reason: my parents were too.
But, fortunately, I was later able to think for myself. This is, according to Martí, the greatest responsibility of a human being.
Secondly, after a quarter of a century living in Europe, my view of politics is different. In our country, politics is a kind of sport that generates passions. In Europe, it is approached more rationally.
In "Yo, Balaguer," you rely on extensive research to understand the figure of the former president. What were the most relevant sources you used and what findings surprised you most during the writing process?Over the course of four years, I consulted some four hundred sources. The most relevant were interviews and, above all , reading several dozen books written by Balaguer.
I will list just three of the findings that surprised me. During his youth, Joaquín Balaguer almost committed suicide for love . He exercised with dumbbells in the privacy of his room well into his old age.
And, for reasons beyond his control , he was unable to present the thesis corresponding to the studies he had carried out in Paris. He obtained the knowledge , but not the degree. Therefore, he should have been known not as the doctor, but as the licentiate Balaguer. But he never hid this fact.
"The objective of this book is to penetrate into the depths of Balaguer's soul" Pablo Gómez Borbón Dominican writer "
Each literary genre has its own objectives and techniques. With the articles you refer to, which could be considered essays , I sought to present my opinion on various topics. "Fighting Ghosts " collects the testimony of a constitutionalist fighter during the 1965 war, which I limited myself to narrating and contextualizing.
With "Dying in Brussels" I sought to clarify the deaths of Miriam Pinedo and Maximiliano Gómez. The protagonists were not involved in the events, so I used third- person narration.
The aim of "I, Balaguer" is different: to penetrate into the depths of Balaguer's soul. Therefore, the narration had to be done in the first person. Language was not only a means, but also a tool to define the protagonist. That is why I used the words that Balaguer would have chosen .
I used, for example, "al través" instead of "a través"; "estro" instead of "inspiración"; and "ergástula" instead of "cárcel." This technique is why many readers perceive that it was Balaguer who wrote my book .
In "Morir en Bruselas" you narrated crucial episodes of the Dominican revolutionary movement. Now, with "Yo, Balaguer" you approach history from the perspective of a political leader with a completely different vision. How important is it for you to present multiple sides of history in your narrative?Men are never simple. Every man, whether he is called Maximiliano Gómez or Joaquín Balaguer, is made up of light and shadow, strength and weakness, glory and misery. Reality is never binary , so it must be observed from various points of view, often contradictory .
In both cases, there are always endless nuances. Anyone who, like me, wants to get to the truth must always bear this in mind. And they must rely exclusively on reason, otherwise they will fail .
In 2022, you received the Eduardo León Jimenes National Book Fair Award for "Morir en Bruselas." How has this recognition impacted your career and what challenges do you face today as a Dominican writer ?Receiving the Eduardo León Jimenes National Book Fair Award has been a privilege and also a responsibility . It has been a privilege because it has put me, practically a newcomer in the Dominican literary world, on a par with many of the great Dominican writers.
It is a great responsibility because it forces us to continue publishing works of irrefutable quality. I must confess that, many times, during the process of writing "Yo, Balaguer", I wondered if this would be the case . It has been, apparently, judging by the comments received.
The greatest challenge I have to face as a writer is the distance that separates me from our country. It is true that technology is shortening the distance nowadays and that, although I live in Belgium, I have managed to successfully carry out the research required to write both "Morir en Bruselas" and "Yo, Balaguer".
But it is also true that they would have been much less difficult if I had had the good fortune to live in our country.
Historical literature can be a challenge because many readers already have a formed perception of the characters. How did you manage the balance between historical accuracy and fictional narrative to offer a complete view of Balaguer without falling into extremes?Even though I am a novelist , I stick to the facts as much as possible .
In the case of "Dying in Brussels" only the two protagonists are fictitious, because they are my alter egos.
The rest of the information, from the license plate number of Louis Demaret, who discovered part of Miriam Pinedo 's remains, to the address and furnishings of Hector Aristy's apartment in Paris, is absolutely historical.
And because I do not claim to have a monopoly on the truth, I gave "Dying in Brussels" an open ending. I presented numerous hypotheses about the deaths of Miriam Pinedo and Maximiliano Gómez. I chose those that seemed most likely to me and left the reader free to do the same.
As for " Yo Balaguer ", I was forced to use liberties for obvious reasons: it is impossible to penetrate the mind of a character in a factual manner . The thoughts and motivations are fictionalized; the facts, mostly real.
I have even cited several options when I have doubted what the reality was. I can cite, for example, the origin of the weapon with which Orlando Martínez tried to defend himself from his assassins in March 1975.
"In our country, it is the writers (and not the publishing houses) who finance their books, often paying several hundred thousand pesos. Not everyone has that much money, which makes it impossible for them to publish" Pablo Gómez Borbón Dominican writer “
Writers and readers face the same obstacles. Although books and the materials used to produce them are not subject to taxes, their cost is relatively high. This causes writers to refrain from republishing their books.
On the other hand, in our country, it is the writers (and not the publishing houses) who finance their books, often paying several hundred thousand pesos. Not everyone has that much money, which makes it impossible for them to publish.
For those interested in Dominican history and the figure of Balaguer, what would you like them to take away from reading "Yo, Balaguer"? What do you think your book can contribute to the debate about his legacy in the country?Balaguer had neither only defects nor only virtues. Like every human being, he was defined by both. It is always necessary to clarify. Those who admire him must keep in mind the former. Those who hate him must keep in mind the latter.
I have tried to make "I, Balaguer", by emphasizing this fact, allow for a more measured evaluation of this politician who still polarizes the opinion of Dominicans.
How has your work been received?The reviews have been mostly positive. The comment that the book is "addictive" has been recurrent. One reader told me that he spent the whole night reading more than seven hundred of the pages that make up the book. In other words, the length of the novel is in no way an obstacle to reading it.
On the other hand, just like "Morir en Bruselas", "Yo, Balaguer" has been criticized by members of the so-called revolutionary left. But such criticisms are not of a literary nature but of a political nature. For this reason, and because it is a novel, I will refrain from responding to them.
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