Xavier Graset and his contribution to television culture
I agree with the general opinion and with culture lovers in particular in recognizing the valuable work of Xavier Graset in the Més 324 program. This space has promoted the presence of literature in the information field and has shown that talking about books is much more interesting to rescue the daily news. Xavier’s work has been crucial in a public television that is increasingly disconnected from national culture, demonstrating that talking about literature enriches and strengthens us as a society.
The current state of culture on public television
Although ‘La Nostra’ has excellent cultural editors such as Carolina Rosich, Jofre Font and the beloved Anna Guitart, who still appear occasionally on screen, the presence of culture on our television remains secondary and limited. The thematic programmes dedicated to art that TV3 offered for decades have diminished considerably, and although some attempts to maintain this legacy have been made, they have resulted in ineffective compilations.
The need for more cultural programs
We urgently need a program dedicated to literature, as well as spaces that celebrate Catalan cinema and music, both popular and cultured. It is unacceptable that our rich contemporary culture barely appears on television, and when it does, it is in very brief segments.
A call to action
Gentlemen of ‘La Nostra’, we want more books. We need more books. If we have a channel that dedicates an entire day to sports, with absurd discussions that often destroy our language, it would not be unreasonable to offer citizens a space dedicated to dance, where our choreographers shine at an impressive level, or to exchange some films of dubious quality for representations of the best Catalan theater scene.
I learned to love Catalan by memorizing Cyrano’s verses written by Xavier Bru and sung by Flotats. If there are millions of spectators filling our theaters every year, why not think that a program dedicated to the performing arts would not have an audience? Where is such nonsense written?
A promising future for literature on television
Since we have seen that having a current affairs program that talks about literature is not a rarity, we could go one step further and provide a weekly space on books with sufficient resources and time for the presenter to read them, making the interviews more deep. In an exceptionally rich moment for Catalan literature, it is incomprehensible that our television does not record conversations with authors such as Irene Solà, Elisenda Solsona, Joan Jordi Miralles or Carles Dachs.
For years, we have admired the excellent interviews conducted by Soler Serrano or Montserrat Roig with some of our writers, valuing them for their high documentary and literary value. Let us no longer cry for the past; Now we have the opportunity to do the same on public television and with a list of first-class authors.
Proposals and possibilities
TV3 needs a program dedicated to books, a space that could be directed and presented by talented people such as Jaume C. Pons Alorda, Marina Porras, Bernat Reher, Berta Galofré, Esteve Plantada, Arià Paco, among others. It only takes a little resource to invent a program that goes beyond the conventional couch-and-library setting, allowing the novels, essays, poetry collections, and dramatic works of our magnificent literature to do the rest.
Gentlemen of ‘La Nostra’, we want more books. We need more books. Our language will die if we do not spread the word on the screen. Do something about it.