Eduardo Sacheri: "There is no Argentine fiction that questions what happened in the Falklands."

The Falklands War (1982) was a turning point for Argentina, the last obstacle of up to six dictatorial regimes that marked 60 years of the country and a war conflict that, according to the author Eduardo Sacheri , is rarely reflected in Argentine fiction , with exceptions such as his latest book, Too Far Away .

“In the case of Argentina , there's no fiction about the Malvinas . To exaggerate, there are a dozen novels, in other words, there's no society questioning itself from the perspective of fiction. That was partly the reason I started writing the novel and asked myself: 'Why this discomfort and silence?'” he says in an interview.

Some films and plays, Sacheri explains, have dared to reflect a "marked cultural issue," such as the necessity or otherwise of the landing of Argentine forces on the archipelago on April 2, 1982.

In Too Far Away (Alfaguara), Sacheri recounts, through various voices , the seed of the landing and how soldiers with minimal training arrived on the islands encouraged by the desire of both society and its rulers to be able to recover this territory.

" In addition to the political interest in this war, I would add the sentimental interest of the Argentine people . If the military was able to land and not retreat when the diplomatic situation made it clear, it was because the Argentine population itself practically forced them to," the historian explains.

The fact that Argentine society had adopted a "distant attitude" would speak "better" to the writer's reaction to his people, who at that time had other, greater problems and needs, such as "the return of democracy, human rights violations, or how to overcome the economic crisis."

Sacheri's literary work draws on his knowledge as a historian , but above all, on his work as a screenwriter, which has led him to adapt his novels for film with great success, even receiving the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2010 for The Secret in Their Eyes .

Approaching these historical moments through fiction "invites you to rethink something you probably haven't remembered in a while," he asserts, in addition to doing so with "greater freedom" and "accessibility" for the public.

"If I write an essay about the Falklands War, it will only interest Argentines. Now, if I write about ordinary people affected by the onslaught of war and a widespread and fanatical consensus, that happens to many of us all the time," he argues.

The Argentine economic corralito in 2001 adapted in La noche de la Usina (Alfaguara Prize in 2016) or the Argentine judicial system during the dictatorships of the 60s and 70s in La pregunta de sus ojos (2005) are some of the events captured in Sacheri's work .

Furthermore, rhythm is another technique that Argentina's most widely read writer uses to add interest to his stories, just as renowned authors such as American Stephen King have used this skill to create some of the best stories in modern cinema.

“The narrative rhythm must reflect that fictional reality. I like to ask literature to find rhythms . I really like classical music, and I feel it's harmony and rhythm. And sometimes, in literature, if the rhythms get stuck, the pleasure diminishes,” he explains in a calm tone, just like in his novels before they reach the storm.