Like musicians or footballers, writers need managers, too, which is what a literary agent is. We support authors from the moment they think about what to write and we give them ideas for their novels. We are the first people to read the text, and we tell them what works and what does not. Once they have finished their novel, the most important thing is to find a publishing house to sell it to in order to get it published. First, we sell them the original. Then, we try to get the book translated and distributed in other languages, as well. After that, we offer overall support: from contracts to invoices, promotion, etc. We try to make sure that the writer can make a living from his or her writing.

Literary agents try to make sure that writers can make a living from their writing 

It was a very big shock, but a very positive one in every way. I had turned 18 just three weeks before I got to the city. My parents showed me how to take the bus or underground from where I was living to UPF, which was in the Rambla building at the time. The contrast of having been born and raised in a place as small as Minorca and then coming here, having to do everything on my own, starting university, not knowing anyone in the city... It was a very big change, but I remember it quite fondly.

When I finished my final year of secondary school, I was not sure what I wanted to study. I had always liked languages a lot; I had been studying English and German since my first year of secondary school, and an acquaintance of my father’s helped me discover the world of translation. I realized that this option combined the things I liked most: reading, writing and languages. Also, knowing that we had to do an Erasmus exchange during the second year was a key factor in the decision.

Knowing that we had to do an Erasmus exchange during the second year was a key factor in the decision 

Reading, travelling and learning languages give you the chance to discover other cultures and other ways of doing things. That is what most interests me in this life, because I am naturally curious. When I was young, I travelled more. I lived in London, St Andrews and Munich and, even though I am now settled in Barcelona, I still travel a lot. It is what I most like to do in this world, after reading.

‘The power of books is being diluted, and I think that is a shame. It takes a lot of will power to say, “Tonight I am not going to watch a programme; I am going read a book”’ 

Not as many books are sold today as fifteen years ago, and there is more competition. It is a somewhat precarious industry. It is a fairly hermetic world, and that is a problem, because it can seem impossible to break into without connections, which leads to a highly inbred environment. It is like a game of musical chairs: whenever anyone leaves, everyone moves around; but there is little movement and scant opportunities compared to other industries. In my case, I did not know anyone. Getting my foot in the door as an intern helped me meet people who offered me jobs. You will not find job offers in this world through LinkedIn.

Any medium is welcome when it comes to discovering stories that have something to offer us

Whilst many bookshops have closed, many other small ones, run by just one or two people, have opened. Maybe the ones that are closing are the bigger, more generalist shops, whilst the neighbourhood bookshops, the ones that really breathe life into an area, are surviving. I think it is more a city problem than a bookshop one. Barcelona has a problem with all the businesses that gave it an identity for years and are now being replaced by large retail chains.

At university, I read great books, such as The Catcher in the Rye, which I remember we all liked a lot. However, we were not asked to read much. I think that one of the mistakes is the assignment of boring books that do not catch students’ interest. We need to be less snobbish and to start thinking that all books are good: if you read a book and enjoy it, it is a good story. Universities should organize more activities, such as book clubs or events with authors, above and beyond requiring students to read a book for two weeks from now and write up a summary. You really do not get as much out of that as from a discussion with other readers, for example.

We need to be less snobbish and to start thinking that all books are good: if you read a book and enjoy it, it is a good story 

One book that really made an impression on me when I was younger was The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. My parents had a copy of it at home, and I remember going right back to the beginning to read it again the minute I finished. Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude also marked me. I read maybe two books a week, and there are many that I like and that leave an impression on me; but I would definitely have to say the first one. If we are talking about poetry, my favourite author is Ponç Pons, the great Minorcan poet.

I think it is very important to study what you like, because you will be good at your job if you really love it. The issue of career options is part of the prevailing capitalism. The job market that you think exists today is not the one that will exist in five or fifteen years. That is why it is so important to do what you like. Life will then take you down paths and you will not know where they lead. It is not worth spoiling the best years of your life, when you are young and you have to decide what to study, because you will find the opportunities when the time comes to look for them.