If February 3, 1959 – the ill-fated Tuesday when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and Big Bopper lost their lives in a plane crash – is considered the day music died, for many people the day Twitter died -or, at least, he started doing it- it was not July 24, 2023, when the social network changed its name to X, but four months later, on November 27, when Miguel Ángel López died. He Hematocritic. Almost a year later, the legion of friends and admirers left by the blogger, writer, professor and cultural agitator decided to pay tribute to him by giving his name to a new festival born with the intention of becoming the state reference in the field of children’s and youth literature, but in its first edition it goes much further: it will be the party “not to say goodbye, but to celebrate that Miguel was part of our lives. And a party without music and laughter is not a party.
The one who speaks thus is Miguel’s companion, the writer Ledicia Costas, mother of characters like Scarlet fever, a cook dies, Miss the bubble either The Minimortos -all with a Spanish version- in a career that has accumulated two dozen awards, including the National Prize for Literature for Children and Young People, the Galician Culture Prize and the Castelao Medal. She is one of the organizers of HematoFesti alongside animation director, illustrator and comic book artist Alberto Vázquez, winner of four Goya Awards for films such as bird boy, Psychonauts either Unicorn Wars. Things start with a high bar.
The HematoFesti, which will be held in Vigo from November 6 to 10, is inspired by one of the many projects that López’s premature death left on hold. In October last year, Hemato, Costas, Vázquez and his partner traveled to Cagliari (Italy) for the festival Tuttestorie. They liked it so much that the filmmaker proposed it to his friends. “Why don’t you and everyone you know organize a children’s literature festival?” In Spain there aren’t many, and in Galicia, none…” Miguel’s response was that they should get on with it “when we have time.” But they don’t. ever had. A month later, Hematocritico died suddenly of a heart attack. He was 47 years old.
This unfinished project is the origin of HematoFesti. “We wanted to pay tribute to him, a party with friends and we thought the best thing would be something with his name, where we talk about his figure, where his legacy remains alive…” But it got out of hand. What was supposed to be “a small, intimate thing” upset them. “Word started spreading and people wanted to join, because Miguel’s network was really big.” Thus, in “record time”, barely four months of “intense” work, they produced a “large poster” with big names in literature, illustration and humor.
Not only that: in addition to the human team which embarked on the adventure, they obtained the support of private sponsors – like Nintendo – but also of public sponsors “of all colors”: the General Directorate of Books, dependent of a minister. of Sumar; the Xunta and the Deputation of Pontevedra -of the PP- and the socialist town hall of Vigo. “The figure of Hematocrítico is conciliatory,” smiles Costas. Is your name safe passage? “And a quality brand! »
It’s not (yet) a hot festival
The festival trailer, the work of director Manu Viqueira, references the imagery of Monty Python during the transformation of the god of The Creation of Adam in a hematocrit surrounded by some of his many creatures. Among his contributions to popular culture, one of the best known is the term trospidwith which he described the candidates, mothers and situations of the program in 2012 Who wants to marry my son?one of those phenomena that began to be followed simultaneously on television and on Twitter.
Will it then be a tropical celebration? “We thought about calling it that, but we liked it to be Hemato in the name. “I think we need to create a prize tied to that.” One more: HematoFesti is accompanied by an illustrated album competition, in collaboration with Triqueta Editora, which will award the winner a prize of 5,000 euros and a publication in all state languages. In addition, the honorary prize is created Leisure legend – like these children’s comics that Hemato scripted and that Albert Monteys drew – which, in its first edition, will recognize the career of Manuel Bragado, “the great editor of Galician literature”, in the words of Costas. She and López were published for the first time in this language.
“She has a quality that not everyone has: she always knows her place,” underlines the writer before emphasizing that Bragado, like Hemato, was also a teacher. “Manolo and Miguel were two legends of the sport, so to start by giving it to him was something great.”
who said WHAT?
We thought about music and laughter, which will take place in two big events. The first, L’HématoGalaon Thursday 7, it will be just after the presentation of another National Prize, this one for comics: Paco Roca, the author of Wrinkles, The abyss of oblivion either The grooves of chance. The gala will be hosted by filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo and poet and singer Lucía Aldao. Nus Cuevas, Amaral, Noel Ceballos, Laura Márquez, Joe Crepúsculo, PAVA and the La Ruina podcast will take the stage, with their brand new Ondas Award under their arms.
The next day he will arrive at the Salesianos Theater We want humor to review all the informative and humorous facets of El Hematocrítico. You can see a special edition of Podcast The Brothersthe program that Hemato produced with journalist Noel Ceballos, and which this time will have as guests Nus Cuevas – who is rehearsing -, Berto Romero and Arturo González Campos.
Manuel Bartual will be responsible for talking about the facet that gave López his nickname. The designer and podcaster –Biotopia, Sanctuary, Titania-, another of the artists who most exploited the creative possibilities of Twitter, was the first publisher of the books of The hematocrit of art through your seal Well !
And, when Bartual is finished, it will be the turn of one of the most anticipated moments: the appearance of Angry Mass. The anonymous account emerged as one of the great agitators of what could be considered the golden age of Twitter. It became a pop phenomenon. Under the motto “who said WHAT?” The narrative, perhaps the best possible definition of the concept of a troll, constantly plays with the limits of humor through parody. Theories about who was responsible multiplied and Masa was the first to encourage the rumors. One of the most bizarre was even pointed out by Ignacio Escolar, the director of elDiario.es – where we had Hemato with a section like infiltrate on the internet -, who admitted in a tweet that he wished it were true…
Only after López’s death did the belief spread that Hemato was the person – or one of the people – who had a grudge against Masa. However, in 2016, he himself denied it The Spanish: “But he knows who they are. He will not say it to respect his confidentiality. He didn’t follow: “I was so passionate about politics” – he explains. “That’s not my style of humor.”
“It was never said publicly that he was enraged by Masa,” Costas said with a smile before announcing that during this session, “little things are still revealed.” The masters of ceremonies, again Ceballos, Vigalondo and, as third accomplice, John Tones. “There’s going to be a big surprise,” continues the writer, just as enigmatic. As a surprise, he also announces the closing of the session, with two classics of the Vigoise music scene like Amaro Ferreiro and Nico Pastoriza. What do they do at a comedy gala? You might have to stay until the end to check…
Books versus video games: the battle that never happened
The little ones have always been present in the life and work of Hemato, which is why the workshops and storytelling sessions are multiplying. But after the two central events, the children take center stage. Saturday 9 will mark the day We want children’s literaturewhich will coexist with the Gaming space open from day one. A perfect metaphor for Costas’ adolescence: a book in one hand, a gamepad in the other.
“We want to take some weight off video games, which are demonized and in which there is a certain element of evil.” Thus, with another illustrious name in children’s literature, Pedro Mañas –Anna Kadabra– will offer a conference intended for families under the title Laugh and create: with a Nintendo in your hands since 1990.
Costa remembers hearing over and over again that the book would eventually disappear because of video games while she, a tireless reader, “played everything she could.” “Of course they can coexist; “Video games are culture and have their recreational, emotional, pleasure, entertainment side… but so do literature and music.”
Quite a declaration of intentions for an event which, both Costas and Vázquez, hope will become “the meeting point for children’s literature in Spain”, a place with international guests “where writers, illustrators and publishers can meet and doing things for the kids… but also his work stuff.
With so many open fronts, it seems that the only thing missing is cinema, so the ball remains in Vázquez’s court, who does not close his mind to anything: “In the future, perhaps he will be able to open up a little …because, in the end, “it’s all about telling stories”. And on this, as on many other things, El Hematocrítico knew a lot. A whole world.
