Melissa Hernández Sánchez
“I find television very educational. Whenever someone turns it on, I retire to another room and read a book.” This phrase, which many attributed to U.S. comedian Groucho Marx, delineates the separation seems to be between the literary language and the television.
Television has perceived as the executioner of the habit of reading, writing capable of relegating the shelves. However, the literature on cultural programs have become a tenant over programming, with news and competitions spaces.
A team of 25 people is responsible for the realization of Punto y Coma, a program that is already preparing its sixth season. In the picture the writer Fernando Herrera (left) and Alexander Rojas, member of the program team appear. Photo: UNED FOR LN.
Costa Rica is no exception, and some cultural productions have brought together writers and readers. So with semicolon , winning production Joaquín García Monge Award this year.
“ semicolon was born as an initiative of the department of visual and editorial UNED to fill a void of information on literary themes in the production national, “says Evelyn Ugalde, host and producer of the project.
semicolon is one of the latest audiovisual creations, but have been limited or short-lived, have permeated itself into memory. All have a common challenge: to open the door to discussion of the texts and ways of reading them, and on the other hand, give a voice to give life to a country where stories are read, on average 1 7 books porpersona year, but only 2,321 titles were published in 2012.
culture. For almost twenty years, every week, Guido Sáenz Glimpses directed . This program discussed the art in all its facets through conversations-more-interviews, and is still remembered for the tune of violins that accompanied the first few seconds of transmission.
“‘You, who know art, Guido, why not do a show?’ he said Augusto Carballo, manager of Channel 7. He had not paid some, but only visible on the screen, but for twenty years, who did not go out there? Were Manuel de la Cruz González, Theodoric Quirós, José Marín Cañas … “recalls Saenz, who led Glimpses from 1979 to 1999. That first hint to the national culture and literature was initially aired on channel 7 and passed the National Radio and Television (SINART) in 1997.
A year later, in 1998, on Channel 7 (Teletica) emerged a microprogram books that made his primary protagonist White and black , production still appears once a week on the news channel.
“ White and black has in commercial television, a cultural program with much popular support. Generally, this type of program it appreciates a small number of people, why not unimportant, but this has come the people themselves, “said the driver of the section, Manuel Delgado
.
Every week, the section becomes a showcase for a couple of minutes for the new national and foreign publications. novels, short stories or poems
“The biggest challenge is to open field and tell everyone, ‘Here I am and I’m as good as news of events’. This fight is not over and will never end, so we are still here after 16 years of stubbornness, “said Delgado.
The Identities program was a joint effort of the Program Materials Production Audiovisual State Open University and the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at the university.
Upstream. “What we see when the TV is not proportional to the reality that we perceive in the growing cultural and artistic production of Costa Rica “says the film producer Ivan Porras.
He believes that cultural production has been in charge of public universities and SINART. The challenge for these institutions is to transform the academic and literary language into something that captivates the audience as much as a soap opera.
Some cultural programs have tried literature and related topics such as Analysis , who was born in 2003 on channel 15, University of Costa Rica.
His driver, architect Roberto Villalobos, Joaquín García Monge won the award in 2005. That television program delved into the artistic and cultural work produced at UCR and was, since 2007, with a literary segment by Evelyn Ugalde.
Ugalde already had experience in television because he had produced TV Book Club in 2006. The program was a club that had created bibliómanos on the Internet in 2001 and simply called step Book Club .
Program Audiovisual Materials Production State Open University has led to several television screen spaces. One of them decided to run across the Costa Rican identity through letters. Identities is called, it was Ivan Porras and led the literature teacher Sonia Jones, since 2009.
For her, the biggest challenge is to make the experience of every reader his book in an open dialogue. “The idea that literature is an intimate encounter maybe not conducive to the emergence of television programs. However, I’m sure that social networks have helped to talk more than the books, “says Jones.
semicolon emerged in 2008 as a space to discuss recent publications. Under the slogan “Our books have the word” ceded the space to the authors to speak of his new works, from poetry to the books about volcanoes.
“generally thought that literature programs are boring, but semicolon breaks with the idea of ??square program with two men talking about a book , a table and a vase in the center. semicolon is more timely, entertaining, informative, versatile, moving, alive, “says Ugalde.
The producer semicolon think your challenge is to convince advertisers and broadcasters that culture matters to people and may to be entertaining. To Evelyn, if sufficient resources to the creation and promotion of programs devoted literature, could be removed prejudices loaded.
“Playing dirty is the fact that a television set a cultural program under compulsion, for a law request, and transmit it to midnight. Nor do miracles if the station gives a budget because they believe that a national culture deserves the same level of output that an international program, “he says.
Evelyn Ugalde, host of “semicolon” also won the award Joaquín García Monge 2009.
To Ivan Porras, who produced Identities and several seasons semicolon , the literary languages and television are different, but have common points:
“They are highly connected in regard to the expertise and experience of the reader or viewer. In the case of literature, each book means a varied experience in the reader’s life, an internal dialogue of thoughts and emotions. The real challenge we audiovisual producers, is to bring that experience to the viewer through the visual language and not just describe it rationally. “
Sonia Jones believes that programs have much to learn from the entertainment programs that captivate the public. “I’m a fan of the TV, the two great guests in my house are books and television,” said
.
…..
Program Page 2 of the Spanish TV
Books are also discussed from other latitudes
“Television is word, speech, and the books know that much.” So think Oscar Lopez, director for seven years the program Page 2 of the Spanish Television ago. Also in other latitudes, the time slots on literature are scarce and rarely make extended several seasons. However, Page 2 is related to the national program semicolon as both seek to break traditional molds programs
Page 2 was awarded the National Prize to Promote Reading 2012 awarded each year Spanish government. In addition, he has captivated fans reading Spain and Latin America through the ten sections that have the program. The Spanish journalist spoke with Anchor for how programs literature beyond our borders are perceived.
– When the program Page 2
arises
-The program occurs during the summer of 2007. RTVE TV project asked for a book, we designed it, and after the filming of a pilot program it was decided to start it. That’s like the 4th of November of that same year Page 2 was born.
– What has been the scope of the program
?
-The greatest achievement is the loyalty viewers have shown us over the years, and not only in Spain but also in Latin America. We know that we are either on the international channel RTVE a la carte from our Internet web page .
“We are also very proud to have helped to promote reading among younger readers. We know that our program is used in many colleges and universities to spread the joy of reading.
“Special mention should remember the fact the large number of illustrious writers who have gone through the program: Ana Maria Matute, Paul Auster, Mario Vargas Llosa, José Saramago, Ken Follet, Margaret Atwood, Javier Marías, Arturo Perez Reverte or Isabel Allende, among many others. “
– What has been the secret to staying on the air?
-The program has curdled content because we care especially inviting established authors but also conducting continuous literary bets. At the same time, do not forget we do television and it is important to use all the possibilities this medium offers. Hence care specially staging looking amazing locations, using the most modern and advanced graphics, more suitable music, etc.. We try to offer the program more informative and entertaining books possible.
-The book is written and television is visual: are distant both languages?
-Less than some think. After all, television is also word, speech, and that the books know much. We want to think that Page 2 has been used to show that the words and images go very well.
-is usually considered that the programs are boring literature. Why do you think that perception is due
Probably
-which until recently was considered a program of books should have a long interview and it was was to make a program of literary criticism or reflection. We think that you can also do outreach and literary information, we can show the places mentioned in the novels, invite people from other professional fields to tell us about his literary tastes, and teach that the cinema, music, cooking or sports are also related to the books. Finally, for all these reasons we launched Page 2 . Hopefully we have to demonstrate that you can talk about books on TV without being boring.
Photo: Reference 
EFE – Agencia EFE – All rights reserved. Is expressly prohibited without the written reproduction of EFE S / A. 
