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Rodrigo Diaz was born in the Peruvian capital, Lima, and has resided in Geneva 20 years. He is the director and owner of the Albatros bookstore, an icon in Switzerland for the distribution of American books and authors in Switzerland, which will next year celebrate its 30th anniversary.

But before arriving in Geneva, he completed a 4 year scholarship in what was then the Soviet Union, studying medicine. Following the demise of the USSR, like many other students, he drifted, and not wanting to return to Peru, he undertook a pilgrimage that first took him to the then Czechoslovakia and then on to Austria, until one morning in the fall of October Fall 1989, he arrived in Geneva, taking advantage of some contacts of his fellow countrymen.

"I arrived illegally and had no money, and little by little, I made a living doing cleaning work at night, it was about two years until I got to be accepted into the University of Geneva and acquired the status of student, "he recalls.

"When you emigrate you do not know where to complete your life. I left Peru and now I will end my life here in this city where I founded a family with 3 children, and I can not conceive a return one day to Lima, " he says, convinced that his life is in Geneva, where he is well integrated, even participating in local politics.

And how can you become a bookstore owner?

"I started cleaning and sweeping at night at the Albatros bookstore, which at that time was also a travel agency that was owned by a company of Chilean exiles (Ceppi-Flores-Arellano) until one day, the manager of the bookstore offered me a few hours. I ended up buying it, "he says with an air of nostalgia.

But the life of a bookseller is not easy for Rodrigo Diaz, because despite their recognized contribution to promoting Latin American culture in Switzerland, this does not translate into economic benefits and to continue to support your project, one must work a few hours in the morning in another profession to allow you to produce hard cash.

"Because culture is not enough to live, we have specialized in selling Spanish language learning methods for schools, which is what gives silver," he explains.

But unfortunately this vein is also threatened by the fact that large bookstore chains such as Payot, the Pacific or the FNAC have also begun to sell teaching materials and the business has become unstable with such competition.

"There are several bookstores that have closed in Switzerland precisely because of this competition. I saved myself thanks to my second job and the fact that I recently received some grants to persue cultural activities, it is expensive being a writer, "he stresses.

"I recently received support from the International School Foundation and Fan, which allowed us to bring in writers, because we have to finance the passage and stay, without such support that would be impossible", he says.

Bookseller

Rodrigo Diaz is also a member of the "Circle of Genevan Booksellers” and participates each year in shows such as the Book Fair and his entrepreneurship has led him now to embark on the issue.

"This project was created with editors of the magazine Extramaris. With them came the idea of co-editions of Latin American writers living in Geneva or abroad and thus Malvario Editions was born. With them we have already published 10 books, including four bilingual ones."

"For bilingual books, we have received financial support from the Department of Culture of the City of Geneva, who were interested in the fact to inform Latin American writers who have lived their whole lives in Geneva and who Swiss are now, but still write in their mother tongue, Spanish. This financial support allows us to translate these French writers", he explains.

"But we have not only published Peruvian authors, also some from in Uruguay and Argentina. For example, this week there comes a book of poetry of Carlos Salem, who has won awards for crime novels, who also fell in love with Geneva and will return for a writing workshop.”

Among the draft edition, 2010 Albatros is working on a French anthology of contemporary Peruvian storytellers. Another project is the translation of Spanish-Genevan writers. “Let's start with Jacques Probst, and the editor Bernard Campiche "he says.

Who buys books, and who are the most popular authors?

"I can say that my audience is half American and half Swiss, those who are interested in Latin American writers, and those who read Spanish. Particularly those interested in the new literature, contemporary authors, who I think are very good. This is reflected in the Spanish publishers, where half of their best-selling authors are American contemporaries. "

Among the best-selling authors, are the classics, Garcia Marquez, Cortazar, Fuentes, Vargas Llosa. But among the new, the most I've sold has been by Roberto Bolaño (The Savage Detectives and 2676).

Latinos love Geneva

Presenting American writers has served Rodrigo Diaz to establish a network of contacts that are still felt today. One example is the Peruvian writer Jorge Eduardo Benavides, who has even placed his characters in his latest book at the Albatros Bookstore, as primary setting for meetings.

"There are writers who, after meeting Geneva, have fallen in love with the city and then return with their family. In fact there are many writers who have referred to this city, for example the other day I discovered a book by the Mexican Carlos Fuentes, who lived in the old city, where he claims that the transition to adulthood was influenced by Geneva.

Among other anecdotes reminiscent of the aforementioned Genevan writer Jacques Probst, who wrote his book "Torito 1", on the basis of the summary that made him a drummer Argentine Cortazar story about the history of the character, a boxer named Torito.

"This story was not yet translated into French and then Probst was content to hear the summary of the Argentine musician. But how great was it that he wrote his story "Torito 1". Now published is "Torito 2," which is another story of his and that we will publish in Spanish, he explains.

The Library will turn 30 in April 2010, with Rodrigo Diaz organizing a meeting of Swiss and American writers in the form of a symposium that will make history.

Swisslatin / Alberto Dufey  (5.12.2009)