Podcast Summary: Hoy por Hoy | Para siempre, el viaje de ida de Victorina Durán y charla Trueba

Date: November 5, 2025
Host: Àngels Barceló, with guests Manuel Delgado, Marta Sanz, and David Trueba
Podcast: Hoy por Hoy – SER Podcast

Overview of the Episode

This episode revolves around the concept of "para siempre" ("forever"), from the linguistic and existential meaning of permanence to its echoes in love, memory, objects, art, and even collective struggles. The team discusses the significance and illusions behind the idea of the eternal, weaving through rich and witty conversations about relationships, popular culture, and personal experiences. The program also includes profiles—most notably, a deep dive into the life of lesbian artist and theatre icon Victorina Durán. Closing, there's a reflective conversation with filmmaker David Trueba about his film adaptation of "Blitz" ("Siempre es invierno").

Main Discussion: El Rincón y la Esquina – “Para Siempre” (00:43—41:10)

The Meaning of “Siempre” (Forever)

• Manuel Delgado opens the segment analyzing the polysémic (multi-meaning) nature of "siempre" and how it juxtaposes with "nunca" and temporal expressions like "casi siempre", "a veces":

  "Siempre es lo que perdura en cualquier circunstancia, momento o lugar." (02:39)

• The panel jokes about how even this radio segment is not always "siempre"; at times, "casi siempre".

The Fleeting Nature of Permanence in Life and Work (01:48—02:16)

• Marta Sanz reminisces on when jobs seemed "para siempre"—something that felt like a prison then, but now looks like paradise.
• Discussion about how society viewed permanence in careers and the shift to precarious contracts.

Playful Approaches to Love and "Para Siempre"

• Manuel Delgado humorously references how "forever" is both a hopeful and absurd construct in love and desire, citing pop music and cinema (Luis Buñuel’s "Ese oscuro objeto del deseo").
• Samples “Quizás, Quizás, Quizás” (05:32).
• Marta Sanz:

  "Yo siempre que empiezo un amor... lo hago con la intensidad del para siempre. Creo que si no, no me merecería la pena." (06:22)
  She admits this passion leads to both grand disappointments and unexpected joys.

The Myth of Eternal Love (09:03—16:49)

• Manuel Delgado compares falling in love to catching a cold:

  "Uno pilla un amor como aquel que pilla la gripe, porque sale sin abrigarse." (09:16)

• The team references movies like "Casablanca" (“Siempre tendremos París”), war films, musicals, and literature to illustrate how the idea of "forever" pervades our sentimental education, but is often contradicted by reality.
• Marta Sanz highlights the power and harm of eternal love narratives:

  "El amor para siempre puede una hermosa promesa o también puede ser un castigo." (13:20)
  She invokes images from Sabina, Quevedo, and pop/film stories, warning of gendered consequences.

Eterna juventud, Permanence, and the Human Condition (18:04—22:45)

• Discussion shifts to the pursuit of eternal youth, referencing films ("La muerte os sienta tan bien", "Indiana Jones") and pop culture.
• Marta Sanz:

  "El para siempre es antibiológico, niega las metamorfosis... es algo raro, raro, raro." (19:10)

• Critique of society’s obsession with non-aging bodies, with ironic mentions of celebrity culture.

The Ghost of Unseen Art and Unread Books (21:14—22:45)

• Manuel Delgado:

  "Si os inoculo esta enfermedad... cada vez os quedarán más películas por ver y más novelas..." (21:58)
  A tongue-in-cheek lament about never catching up with great works—perhaps what keeps us chasing “forever”.

The Need for Anchors: What Should Endure? (27:09—29:39)

• Panelists reflect on how the only true "always" might be the constancy of change:

  "Si hay algo que está siempre, justamente es lo que fluye... el río." (27:16 – Manuel)

• Objects, literature, relationships—how the meaning and value of "forever" has shifted in the age of trending topics and disposability.
• The role of solidarity and collective identity, punctuated by a segment of the union song "Solidarity Forever". (28:45)

Collective Memory, Objects, and Identity (30:28—33:44)

• Marta Sanz notes that only the community can confer lasting fame ("para siempre").

  "El Quijote es para siempre, pero [con] cerveza." (30:33)

• The impossibility of literal eternity for physical things—what remains is matter transfigured.
• Manuel Delgado reads from Calvino, discussing the illusion of what is fixed and what perpetually moves (“Sofronia”).

Nature and the Fiction of Its Permanence (33:44—35:16)

• Nature’s supposed eternal presence is deconstructed—environmental change signals that even the seemingly "for-ever" is at risk.
• Sylvia Plath’s poem “I am vertical” is cited to exemplify mortality and the illusion of immortality.

Listener Contributions: Everyday "Para Siempre"

• Listeners share personal stories—like the child convinced a big box of oranges would last "para siempre" (35:23), or weddings where "forever" lasted less than a year (36:26).

Inscriptions, Laws, and the Desire for Legacy (38:47—40:06)

• Recording love on trees, tattooing, and the (false) eternity of law are discussed.
• Marta Sanz:

  "La escritura tiene ese rasgo de perdurabilidad... aunque si lo pensamos bien, ni siquiera las leyes son eternas." (39:03)

Notable Segment: The Paradox of “Forever” in Love (38:30)

• Manuel Delgado:

  "Te querré siempre hasta que no te quiera..."
  This paradox distills the entire episode’s meditation on the tension between desire for permanence and the reality of change.

Special Feature: El Viaje de Ida – Victorina Durán (44:59—61:34)

A compelling biographical segment on Victorina Durán, lesbian avant-garde figure, costume designer, artist, and cultural pioneer.

Early Life & Sexual Awakening

• Born to a strict, conservative family; her father a military man, her mother a dancer.
• Durán’s upbringing exposed her to both constraint and bohemian freedoms.
• Discovered her sexuality and passions through relationships with household staff—described with remarkable candor in her memoirs:

  “María fue la que completó mis conocimientos sobre toda cuestión sexual. Me enseñó ciertos tocamientos, descubriéndome el placer.” (48:14)

Education and the Artistic Scene

• Trained in multiple art forms; rejected obligatory paths for women; becomes key in Spanish and international theatre circles.
• First lesbian relationship with Marquesa Margarita Ruiz de Liori:

  “Aquella vida duró tres días seguidos con sus correspondientes noches de intimidad…” (50:14)

The Challenge of Being Openly Lesbian (51:01)

• At a time without words for lesbian identity, Durán insists on naming and normalizing her experience.
• Contributes to the creation of the women-only Liceo Club and the Círculo Sáfico, creating safe spaces for lesbians in Madrid.

Exile, Resilience, and Legacy

• Fleeing the Spanish Civil War after Lorca’s death and persecution of "rojos y maricones".
• Successfully builds a new life and career in Buenos Aires, before returning to Spain in the 1960s despite Francoist repression.
• Her philosophy:

  “Te arrepientes más de lo que no has hecho que de lo que has hecho mal.” (60:54) “No sé si habré dejado de amar por haber muerto o se abre muerto por haber dejado de amar.” (61:03)

Memorable Reflection:

• Ángels Barceló:

  “Victorina Durán, un descubrimiento.” (61:34)

Interview: David Trueba – “Siempre es invierno” (63:31—79:12)

On Adapting His Own Novel

• Trueba discusses the complexities, joys, and trauma (although he disagrees with the label "traumático") of adapting his novel "Blitz" into the film "Siempre es invierno":

  "Quizá en esos años cambias y cambia también tu forma de ver el mundo. Pero creo que he encontrado un acuerdo entre el que era entonces y el que soy ahora." (64:27)

• The challenge of translating inner narration and emotional landscape into visuals and dialogue.

The Power and Limits of Cinema

• Cinema is "implacable en lo superficial", more direct than literature, but also more limiting for reader-driven imagination:

  "El cine es imbatible en lo superficial, que es una contradicción..." (69:54)

Themes: Love, Loss, and Aging

• The film’s “forever” is complicated—moments of love feel eternal, but what often lasts is pain or the memory of loss.
• The film offers a portrayal of mature love and sexuality, going against the industry’s obsession with youth:

  “Hay una cierta tiranía sobre la mujer, parece que tiene que cancelar una parte de su vida a partir de los 45 años…” (75:19)

• Trueba aspires to offer a more luminous take on healing and resilience despite life’s darkness:

  "Me gusta generar en esos momentos una luz final..." (74:12)

The Enduring Search to Understand Humanity (79:03)

• Trueba claims his ongoing obsession is understanding the contradictions and depths of the human soul.

  "Me interesa el ser humano... de vez en cuando es capaz de encender una cerilla e iluminar el cuarto más oscuro con su humanidad."

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• “Uno pilla un amor como aquel que pilla la gripe, porque sale sin abrigarse.” — Manuel Delgado (09:16)
• “El para siempre es antibiológico, niega las metamorfosis como parte consustancial de la existencia.” — Marta Sanz (19:10)
• “Si os inoculo esta enfermedad... cada vez os quedarán más películas por ver” — Manuel Delgado (21:58)
• “[Victorina Durán] Te arrepientes más de lo que no has hecho que de lo que has hecho mal.” — (60:54)
• “La novela siempre va a estar en un estante... el director debe proponer algo que vuele autónomamente como película.” — David Trueba (86:50)
• “Me interesa el ser humano, sus contradicciones, sus defectos, sus carencias... de vez en cuando es capaz de iluminar el cuarto más oscuro con su humanidad.” — David Trueba (79:03)

Major Timestamps

• 00:43 Start of “El Rincón y la Esquina: Para Siempre”
• 09:16 Metaphor: Love vs. a cold (Delgado)
• 13:20 Power & danger of eternal love (Sanz)
• 19:10 The anti-biological nature of “forever” (Sanz)
• 30:33 Who decides what is "para siempre" in culture
• 38:47 Paradox: "Te querré siempre hasta que no te quiera"
• 44:59 Start of "Victorina Durán: El viaje de ida"
• 60:54 Victorina’s beliefs about regret and living
• 63:31 Start of interview with David Trueba
• 74:12 Finding light through rupture and darkness (Trueba)
• 79:03 Human soul as Trueba’s obsession

Overall Tone and Style

• Witty, erudite, ironic, often poetic.
• Blends highbrow literary references with pop culture, humor, and personal experience.
• Encourages both critical reflection and emotional connection to the topics.

Useful for Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In:

This episode offers a multi-layered meditation on why humans strive for permanence—be it in love, work, memory, or memory itself— and why, paradoxically, nothing is truly "forever". The show uses personal stories, literature, cinema, and even political struggles to question, humorously and movingly, how we chase "forever" despite living in a world defined by change. The segment on Victorina Durán is particularly illuminating for anyone interested in LGBTQ+ history and Spanish culture, while the insightful interview with David Trueba bridges the world of literature and film, reflecting on adaptation, age, gender, and the human need for meaning.

End of summary.