Being American'

"Since arriving, I have closely observed American culture through a dual lens: observing the state of the Spanish language and the current state of U.S. literature. Decade after decade I have been reporting on both issues through the pages of this newspaper. Regarding literature, I've had in-depth conversations with Joan Didion, Janet Malcolm, Toni Morrison, Anne Carson, Siri Hustvedt, Norman Mailer, Philip Roth, John Updike, Paul Auster, David Foster Wallace, Don DeLillo, Salman Rushdie, and Richard Ford, among other prominent figures."

"If those conversations reveal anything, it's that the contradictions that have always violently shaken this country are enormous. Since I arrived, seven presidents have occupied the White House: Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Donald Trump. The mere act of writing the last name has a paralyzing effect, given the atrocities his administration perpetrates incessantly. As for Spanish, the attack on our language is head-on."

Forty years in New York shifted the center of gravity of life to the United States; the city shaped academic and literary achievements: a doctorate in literature, a professorship, a novel that won the Nadal Prize, and direction of the Cervantes Institute. Close observation of American culture focused on the status of the Spanish language and U.S. literature. Conversations with major American writers revealed deep national contradictions and required later obituaries for many. Seven presidents served during that time. Spanish faces hostility in the U.S.; speaking Spanish can mark someone as suspect and a potential target for deportation, yet Spanish arrived before English in North America and cannot be eradicated.

Read at english.elpais.com