Juan Pedro Aparicio: Director of the Cervantes Institute in London

The Cervantes Institute was created in 1991 by the Spanish government to promote the study of that country´s language and culture throughout the world. Named after the creator of Don Quixote, Spain's most famous writer Miguel de Cervantes, it is fitting that the Institute's director in London these past three years, Juan Pedro Aparicio, is also a well known and widely respected writer of short stories, novels, essays, journalism and travel books. Vanessa Viana spoke to him recently

What has your time in London had been like so far?

"Personally it has been and continues to be an amazing experience. There is a special relationship between Spain and England which perhaps is not yet fully appreciated by either country. Almost 17 million British tourists visit Spain every year and they do not go only for the sun and the beach, as was previously the case, increasingly now you notice that they are becoming interested in all aspects of Spanish culture and the way of life. "

The British government is promoting the learning of a second language in schools. Is the Cervantes Institute taking advantage of this opportunity?

"We are doing everything we can to satisfy the growing demand for Spanish language classes in London. We are conscious of the fact that there is a lack of Spanish teachers in British schools at the moment but we are working with the Education Office of the Spanish Embassy in London on a pilot scheme to train more teachers.

What makes Spanish culture so attractive in your opinion?

Spanish culture is not just the culture of Spain it is also that of Latin America. I understand that what makes this culture so attractive to the rest of the world, and to Europe especially, where there is a more restrained understanding of life, particularly in Northern Europe; ours is a more playful and relaxed approach to life. At least that is what my British friends tell me.

How do you see Spanish culture in Europe at the moment?

Maybe Europe is where there is a need for reinforcement for the language and the culture as it is already well recognized in the rest of the world. But I am very optimistic regarding the future.

What do you think the British people can learn from the Spanish?

As I said earlier, almost 17 million British people go to Spain every year. There are between five hundred thousand and one million that own a property in Spain and are thus already engaging with the Spanish way of life. They have brought home with them olive oil, chorizo…. and now chorizo has entered the English lexicon. The other day at a fast food chain restaurant I even saw they were selling chorizo burgers. So, they are changing their eating habits; tapas restaurants proliferate even though the chef might be Scottish or English. They love Almodóvar films, they read books written by Spanish writers and they celebrate the goals scored by Spanish footballers playing for Liverpool or Arsenal...

In one of your recent interviews you said that only 2% or 3% of books on sale in the UK were translations. This is a very low figure in contrast with other countries. Why do you think this is the case?

"A literary editor of one of the leading UK publications once said to me: "We have had and still have great literature… it is like the Spanish and wine, why try other wines if you already have excellent ones". My reply was that for Spaniards to know other wines has been beneficial as it has helped them have improve their own. That is the problem, English people can be insular; certainly they have great literature and they enjoy it, however, I think it would be good for them to become more familiar with other literatures in order to enrich even more their own.

"I do think that fortunately the situation is changing. The authorities have an enormous interest in this and I understand that they have provided some financial support for translations into English.

How many people use the services of the institute each year?

We have on average over 3000 language students per year. From 6pm we are completely full, and sometimes we have to cancel courses because of a lack of space. Also, we host many cultural events, with average audiences of nearly a hundred and more, which reflects the enormous interest in Spanish and Latin American Culture in London. Our library is visited and used by many Londoners who borrow films, books and music.

Finally, do you work with the other European institutes to promote European culture?

Yes we do, and we have achieved positive results by working together. In my opinion, our individual activities are in themselves making the presence of continental Europe felt by simply promoting our own cultures.