Spain, a Love Affair: A Conversation with Joe Rossiter on His Novel Spained
For Joe Rossiter, Spain wasn’t just a place to visit; it was a world that swept him off his feet. In his new novel Spained, published by Ybernia bilingual publishing house, Rossiter shares how Spain captured him from the moment he stepped into Madrid’s streets. In this conversation, Rossiter opens up about his deep connection to Spain and the inspiration behind Spained, a novel he hopes will spark a desire in readers to discover this country for themselves...
Why Spain?
Spain is not a country but a state of mind. You can of course visit it. I like to think I was consumed by it. I was a ‘green fool’ on arrival, my biggest goal being to get away from Ireland. Often a wrong reason to up sticks… however, not this time.
I got off the airport bus at Colon in the heart of Madrid in September and walked up into a vibrancy and mentality I’d never seen before. For Spain wanted me. Wanted to include me, feed me unknown flavours, socialize with me, shake my hand vigorously, wanted my language and foreign-ness, wanted to show me its wares. And through nearly two thousand metro journeys it did. Reading a novel a week on the way to work, listening to the passengers, avoiding the pickpockets, laughing and clapping along to the quick-witted buskers strumming guitars while they surfed the Metro to the end of the line and back. And I saw its soul every single time I was spat above ground and into the light of the cityscape. Apartment blocks straight out of a mystery novel. The flash crystal fronts of the ultra-modern business district. In Spain, even concrete can be beautiful when steps lead up to warm and open people. Even bus fumes can smell sweet when a cortado awaits across the street.
Opening myself up to a new country
Spanish love, good or bad, is passionate and total. Sport, music, art, food, even relaxation is total. Spain opened my head and heart to another world. My preconceptions died quickly and were replaced with a sparkling reality. If Spaniards had a reputation for partying hard, I now realized it was off the back of working even harder. Siesta time be damned, everyone still worked a full day around it. So, when you went for a post-work drink it meant something. It was earned. When you could get everyone together for a celebration it was often post-midnight. Once work was done, family must be visited, the market had to be negotiated, the things put off all week needed doing. Then and only then could you head out for tapas and a march around a bar district sampling everything. And for every one of the tourist Meccas of Iberia there were a hundred magic enclaves with food and wine and friendly faces that went unknown to most. From the wet and rugged Galician storm coast to the giant waves of Mundaka, from the Sierras that stretched away in ridges, to the wheat fields running downhill in the south… all, all of it was alive. Oh, what possibilities! I became one of those annoying fellows raving about my latest discovery on a cheap overnight break. I became a bore. Energy came from everything I saw and touched and consumed. Yes, it was all new and shiny… yet I never tired of it.
Coming back every year
Now, I must spend a portion of my year there to prevent me becoming a flaking wreck. I have swapped the carved wooden doors of the city’s capital for the south of the country. Now I have fallen for the sun brazed terraces of midday sherries, locals who barbecue under giant pines while their kids play soccer in the evening. Waves knock me over as Gibraltar observes. When I wander Ronda’s Roman cobbles or cool off in its Moorish gardens, I feel at home. I know, I know, I’m Irish… yet….
I had to write about it
Maybe there is some dark, mysterious Spaniard in my DNA. Maybe it’s just a love affair. My novel Spained came out of all this. I didn’t have a choice in writing it. Like a ghost that stands over your bed and reminds you of past misdemeanors and the need to repent, Spain hung over me after I’d left, reminding me, encouraging, urging me to get the magic down. I’d been blessed for a significant period in my life, led by spirits unseen. So, I was obliged to share it. Everyone who arrives to a new place finds an angel. You are shepherded in the right direction, and you take on their advice. Or you ignore and find yourself back home sooner than you’d planned. I had my angels yet never really got the chance to be one. So perhaps my novel is a shot at redemption? The energy, the people, the places, the joy? I hope it’s in there. I would like to think I wrote a tiny fraction, a tiny corner of that world. Just enough to make someone book a ticket on a whim, an off-chance that one of those cracked, old-town doors will open, the cold marble stairs within will lead to a sojourn that shapes someone’s life forever.
Ready to fall in love with Spain through Joe Rossiter’s eyes? Dive into Spained, a story that captures the heart and soul of Spain. Check out Spained at Ybernia’s online bookstore, and follow Ybernia on social media for more inspiring stories that bring cultures together.
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Main image: Pexels/Armando Oliveira
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