First Impressions
An Interview with Antonio García Ángel Early in the Mentorship
What interested you most about participating in the Rolex Arts initiative?
The category of the artists who have been mentors in the programme was very attractive to me. There was no other way in which a beginner like me could work with a master such as Vargas Llosa.
Also the type of work that the Initiative proposes. Literary workshops can be very useful, but sometimes the divergent interests of the group of writers can make it difficult to give full concentration to your own work. On the other hand, sometimes creation deals with solitude and lack of guidance during the writing process. The mentor and protégé system takes both working styles: the support given by a colleague and the centered focus in the most personal projects.
Finally, because it gives me the possibility of having time for writing and not having to worry about money.
Have you ever had a mentor before?
I’ve had teachers who told me things that would be useful for my work. But never a mentor in the sense of someone who guides you. A teaching relationship involves more than two people. With a mentor, it is an exclusive and privileged relationship. A mentor is committed in a more profound way.
What do you hope to get out of this collaboration?
My second novel and a lot of discipline! I hope to broaden my vision of literature and deepen my commitment to it. I want to impose more difficult tasks on myself. My expectations are higher than they were before. I want to do risky things, to put pressure on my work. This collaboration gives me confidence to do those things. For the time being, we have a rule that I send part of my writing to him regularly, almost once a week. And I concentrate on this.
So far, what is the best part of being a Rolex protégé?
A greater sense of assurance as I write my second book, rather than only reaching a real sense of purpose at the end. I am no longer working in a fog. Automatically, the fact that you show your work to a master makes you better, makes you feel stronger, helps you do things better, makes you give more of yourself.
What was your first impression of your mentor, Mario Vargas Llosa?
He was very warm, very friendly. The first things he said made me think that he knew my work and that he cares. That was important to me. I felt honoured.
How do you think your work is similar to or different from your mentor’s?
He has clearly been an important influence on my work already. We share the same vision of literature. He writes realistically, paying attention to every detail. I want to write like that, with the same minuteness. He has an innovative technique, but keeps his writing readable. I, too, want to find new ways of saying things, without making my work difficult to read as a result.
Do you think that Mario Vargas Llosa’s guidance will change your approach to literature?
I think he is enlarging my idea of what writing can be. In that sense, I think he will influence my work. The most interesting and the most important thing is that I am trying to find the most personal and appropriate voice in which to write.