Jon Bilbao (Ribadesella, Asturias, 1972) is one of the most prominent storytellers in contemporary Spanish literature. A mining engineer and holder of a degree in English Philology, he is the author of short-story volumes such as Como una historia de terror, Bajo el influjo del cometa and Estrómboli, as well as novels such as El hermano de las moscas, Basilisco, Araña and Matamonstruos. Throughout his career he has received numerous recognitions, including the Premio Ojo Crítico de Narrativa, the Premio Tigre Juan and the Premio Euskadi de Literatura.
He has just published This Is Your Home (Impedimenta), a volume of nine stories that revolve around a family home located in a fishing town in the north of Spain. Through narratives that blend memory, autofiction, mystery, and horror, Bilbao turns the domestic space into an unsettling territory, populated by secrets and memories.
In this new installment of La llamada, Jon Bilbao chats with Álvaro Colomer about the origins of his literary vocation, his early experiences as a reader and writer, and the path that led him to abandon engineering to devote himself to literature. A conversation that allows a closer look at the shaping of his narrative universe and reveals how his passion for storytelling was born.
The interview is part of the “online Dialogues” that ACEC (Asociación Colegial de Escritores de Cataluña / Associació Col·legial d’Escriptors de Catalunya) organizes with the support of CEDRO.