Noticias
To be a good writer you have to be a good reader: Katherine Paterson.
November 17, 2015American Katherine Paterson, considered a living legend in the children's and young people's literature, said she never imagined she would be a writer and if her books have improved after a career of over 70 years is because she has been a good reader.
At 83, the author of Bridge to Terabithia and The Great Gilly Hopkins gave a conference, The care and feeding of a writer, where she said to the Mexican audience that reading was an activity that began even before she was born, as her mother read to her older brothers, then she spent magical moments of family reading, an activity that continued with her children.
During the International Seminar on Promoting Reading, she stressed that it was a book, The Secret Garden, which changed her life, as she felt very well while reading it, because she identified herself with the main character, an exiled and alone girl.
Therefore, she said, her goal as an author is writing books for children, similar to what The Secret Garden provoked her over 70 years ago, for which she has taken topics and experiences of her life, real life, she commented.
Memories of the war and the evacuation she suffered when she lived as a child in China, as well as problems of bullying when she was nine years old in a school of North Carolina, are issues that she has talked about in her books, whose roots lie in those terrible years she lived in her childhood.
American writer warned that at that time the library was a sanctuary for her, because she met many friends who lived in books, who helped understand herself, but also the others and could travel through them and even connect with other children, for example, Russians during the Cold War.
Katherine Paterson pointed out that books allow the reader to connect with other people and even spy on others, since writers are very private people and many may know them intimately if you read their books.
Being a full-time reader and love for reading, said the author, have been an important part of her life, because it was an activity that drove her to risk being a writer, even though when she thought she had no talent.
In the presence of reading promoters, gathered at the seminar to be held in the framework of the International Children and Youth Book Fair (FILIJ), American author noted that a story, above all, must make sense and a well-told story it is like a dancer star that helps illuminate the chaos which we live in.
In the case of books for children, she said, these must be creative in order that the small ones learn to be complete human beings, because in a world so broken as the current, word becomes hope.
Karen Coeman, coordinator of the International Seminar on Promoting Reading, said that Katherine Paterson has won many national and international awards, because she is an author who knows not only the reader, but respects her audience, whether children or adults.
The International Seminar on Promoting Reading will continue until Thursday November 12. On Wednesday 11, specialists as Héctor Abad, from Colombia; Blandine Aurenche, France; Melvin Burgess, England; and the American Leonard Marcus and Israeli Hanoch Piven, will give lectures as Letter to a young reader and Creating opportunities for communication from a book.
Finally, on Thursday 12, Timothée de Fombelle, from France, will give the conference Writing for family / write about family. Also, Mats Berggren, Sweden, and Mercedes Calvo, Uruguay, will be attending, while the closing will be in charge of Alicia Molina, Mexico, with the theme Making out the world in family and beyond.
To know the program of this seminar which is held at Centro Nacional de las Artes and track activities via streaming you can visit the page, http://interfaz.cenart.gob.mx/video/seminario-filij-2015/
Mexico,Distrito Federal
