Critical opinion. "Mi nombre escrito en la Puerta del váter"

Mi nombre escrito en la puerta de un váter is a novel classified in the genre thriller or suspense, which makes a direct criticism of today's society, more specifically to the aspects that surround the literary world, although it provides a general vision. From the skin and voice of the protagonist Mauro, a writer relegated to the shadow of renowned writers, he intrudes us in a love story, with Olvido, of frustration, by the failure of the null recognition he received as an artist, and of revelation and rejection against an unjust and surreal reality that refuses to support or assume.

The storyline focuses on the work of "literary black" that Mauro Santos exerted, writing two first works for Germán Latorre, a talented "famosete" known for the high quality of his works. In the beginning, Mauro accepts, because after his failed attempts to make himself known, he opts for this option that would at least give him money and give him the chance to imagine the sensations that the millions of readers who read his works would experience. However, the protagonist finds an option to resume his career under his name when a new "talent show" offered him the opportunity to show off and enter the scene of known writers. After this news, resigns from work for Latorre before which he reacts in a bad way with threats to him, his family and Olvido, cause of the clash of interests between Mauro's search for fame and Germán's need to maintain his status and Bestseller writer's reputation, not being possible due to his own abilities.

As the writer tells us in numerous interviews and talks, this book was written from her frustration and impotence for the rejection of her works. He felt that his works had great potential, even compared to other "famous" authors who became big sales. For that reason, she decides to let off steam in ink and paper, charging against a hypocritical environment that rejected her and looked at her over her shoulder. The subject of the literary black confronts it as an insult to all writers, especially those who work in the shade. It is observed how she feels familiar with this feeling because, as she assures us, she was about to stop writing due to the lack of coherence of the publishers when judging the validity of a book, and understands the temptation of other writers of auction their works since, in the best of cases, they could sell, entertain and enjoy a public, which is, after all, one of the purposes of a writer.

Throughout history we find many authors suspected of this practice, as is the case of one of the greatest dramatists in history, Shakespeare, accused by the strange relationship with Piere Corneille. Alejandro Dumas, on the other hand, had Auguste Maquet as a ghost writer, and yet he has not lost the fame or the memory of his innate talent. In addition, the book teaches us how there are arrogant and arrogant writers who underestimate collective work, although this fact can also be extrapolated to other sectors, that is, to the group of intellectuals of different subjects. An example is found in the film Discovering Forrester, in which a university student in literature writes with great skill and ability. The teacher sees it impossible for a black person from the Bronx to have such a talent, which is why he accuses him of plagiarism in his writings, when he actually follows the advice of a well-known best-seller writer of whom he has become a friend, which in his youth he was undervalued by the same teacher. However, tired of generalizing, I bet to think that it is not more than an oppressed minority that believes itself better, and I believe in the philosophy and quotes of "the greatest ones", like that of Gabriel García Márquez; "A man only has the right to look down on another, when he has to help him get up."

Another very present theme and in relation to the theme of the novel is money. A capitalist society that allows itself to be guided by material necessity instead of attending to its principles, which will lead Mauro to begin his work as literary black. Unfortunately, this is no more than a reflection of reality, as I commented before, and we find it in testimonies of writers like Enrique Rubio, born in Murcia, who assumes his profession of literary black and feels comfortable with it because he considers that contracts They offer you more money than the satisfaction of fame would do. In addition, it affirms that when selling its works under a more recognized name, they acquire a greater scope with which it will obtain more benefits than selling it on its part, even receiving all the income. In addition, he considers it one more stage of his career that may, perhaps, change some day, as Mauro did when he found that escape door.

Another naturalness of the human being is the tendency to envy what one does not possess. In this work is talent, for which Germán Latorre is inclined to buy the works of our protagonist, since he has the money and fame but not this gift which he would like to show off, and driven to his search. The false talent writer acquired his popularity as a television presenter in "teleazul" or "telebasura", a nickname given in the book, while criticizing the mediocrity of the use of these mass media, as an object of invading lives of public figures or of offering programs with a null cultural content, while enriching sections are relegated by the little support they receive.

In my opinion, these have been the subjects of criticism, but the final reason is fame, which makes an immortal person in time. This topic is common to works, as we observed in "Coplas a la muerte de su padre" by Jorge Manrique, in which the poet praises his father's work to consolidate him as a famous character in history, since he considers that fame is that makes a person immortal in the memory of posthumous generations, and this is the only one that matters, and not the material riches, and is reflected in this work leads the protagonist to reject his contract to obtain a true impact on a personal level.

"Good gentleman, leave the deceitful world and its flattery; your heart of steel show your famous effort in this drink; and because of life and health you did so little account for fame, strive virtue to suffer this affront that calls you. "

Jorge Manrique

Yago Alarcón García, 2nd Bachillerato