A journal for facing life in a new way. A response to the pandemic through writing.

After a cataclysm of colossal proportions caused by something minuscule that has spread everywhere, a voice reflects, concocts, remembers, prays. This voice perceives that, underneath the global crisis unleashed by the pandemic, deep down there is another epidemic that is more local but has analogous dimensions, or is perhaps even more serious: that of our way of life, our relationship to reality and words.This voice—a pure exercise in reason—goes through topics and variations with a moral melody that at times modulates itself narratively and at other times like a theatrical monologue or a poetic or philosophical investigation where all the registers, from the most serious to the most amusing, are woven together into a sort of fugue that is both conceptual and musical.

With the generic title La vida pequeña, J. Á. González Sainz creates a sort of record, a logbook made up of brief, intimate texts in search of a new way to observe and live. It’s like a box of meditative pills or a bead necklace where you can read threads from the beginning or individually, at random.This is a book against acceleration, against the loss of reality and banality, against the lack of attention, lies, and crowds.This is the work of a goldsmith, distilled for the tongue with a fine-tuned ear, made up of serene thoughts or muddled imaginations and memories in search of a new way to face life and reality.

«He understands the unrepeatable individuality of every singular destination, but he positions it within the chorus of humanity that surrounds it and that it separates itself from, like a branch from a tree» (Claudio Magris).

«González Sainz has found a balance between narration and reflection that dazzles because of its clarity and depth…from its title on, La vida pequeña proposes the conscious cultivation of the minor, the concrete, the nearby, the paradise of every present moment, the tangible nature of a block of wood that still smells like sap and that an artisan will turn into a beloved household item, the accompanied solitude that doesn’t give in to the narcissistic phantasmagoria of the I, the metaphors contained in everyday language…Whether or not it was on purpose, what González Sainz has written is a secular breviary, a defense of a modest Eden as an orchard where work will be as pleasurable as idleness and from which there will be no forced expulsion. Many Posers claim to search for Truth. Those who go into the forest to search for chanterelles are more trustworthy» (Antonio Muñoz Molina, El País — Babelia).

«This is a wise book, or better yet, a collection of reflections in search of wisdom…but, what does wisdom consist of? Well, in the ‘festive attention to what is there, in every now’…We have to conquer an extreme silence, as a ‘previous cleansing’ or prelude to knowledge. Without silence, there can be no attention or wisdom. For those who don’t follow this advice, you can count on the chapter Teoría del perfecto gilipollas [Theory of the Perfect Asshole] to help understand yourselves better» (Félix de Azúa, El País).

«The pandemic has started to produce a literature. Its terrible consequences propel the rethinking of vital priorities, the adjustment to a new normal. La vida pequeña is born from these perspectives… A successful mix of an intimate story, a chronicle of circumstances, a cultural essay, and an ethical meditation…The best: the pleasantness with which intimate investigation is combined with social portrait. The worst: nothing stands out in this excellent book, other than wishing it was longer» (Jesús Ferrer, La Razón).

«There isn’t a more necessary book. Its proposals—so reasonable, so well-written—won’t eliminate the tribunes of hate, but they can push them aside as a reasonable refuge in which to think and live is built, one that is beyond their reach» (Alberto González Troyano, Diario de Sevilla).

«A book about the prevailing futility in which Humanity has settled…González Sainz bets on an ethics of knowledge that coincides with the search of oneself, in the process of fleeing the gregarious... Perhaps the greatest success of this essay is supporting a literary specificity of the reflexive domain—not only through the poetic and literary sources that inspired him, but through his profound sensibility towards language as a repository of wisdom…» (José M. Pozuelo Yvancos, Abc – Cultural).

«An extraordinary perspective on our current society: an intelligent, noble perspective…a life lesson. I recommend it enthusiastically» (Iñaki Gabilondo, Cadena Ser – Hoy por hoy).

«They aren’t chapters, but rather microcosms, fragments, reflections, journeys, sensations, coming and going voices, perspectives…an itinerary that starts with the intimate and appeals to the collective, that runs between the singular and the plural, a literature that chews over thought and vice versa…a perspective on the world out in the open, always alert, on the lookout for everything, where language is just as much a refuge as it is a pirate, suffocation or sleeplessness, time and play, habit and room, pause and time… J. Á. González Sainz writes ‘La vida pequeña’ with transcendental words that seem like private whispers and even maps out a breviary, a camouflaged diary, a manual of intimate liturgy that that chases after ways of life and places, questions, and meditations in between depth, chance, trapped instants, or fleeing things…In between a logbook and a diary, between discovery and amazement, ‘La vida pequeña’ is a succession of dissections assembled by a language that is exposed to the elements, in a permanent and reflexive state of alertness… It is postulated as a book ‘against acceleration, against the loss of reality and banality, against the lack of attention and lies and against crowds…For a long time I’ve liked dreaming about going to live in a place where people work, love, and die in a different way.’ Amen» (Guillermo Balbona, El Diario Montañés). 

«His appeal to a small life is charged with urgency, but we continue to place ourselves in front of screens, as if understanding everything that goes on within them was going to make us smarter, more fun, more complete… ‘No true love ever begins without an antechamber of silence and wonder,’ reads La vida pequeña, whose pages you never want to leave so that this form of reasoning can stick to you» (Joana Bonet, La Vanguardia).

«Wisdom in the classic sense, against assholes—to whom he dedicates a chapter. González Sainz has written a brilliant book, both because of the writing and because if its enlightening capacity. A book that would be good to keep in your pocket at all times» (Sergio del Molino, El País).

«A stimulating tale that leaves us with much to think about» (Santos Sanz Villanueva, El Cultural).

«Admirable» (Daniel Gascón, El País)

«González Sainz, one of the best writers in the Spanish language, invites us to stop and reconsider life after one of the greatest crises of our time…Do yourselves a favor, read González Sainz» (Luis M. Alonso, La Nueva España).