Podcast Summary: Más de uno – La Cultureta 12x21: 'Hamnet' a pesar de 'Hamnet'

Host: Carlos Alsina (and team)
Date: January 30, 2026
Theme:
This episode of "La Cultureta" dives into literary adaptation, focusing on the book Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell and its transition to film, as well as a broader discussion on biographical gaps, prestige cinema, and cultural events. Humor and critical analysis are interlaced throughout.

Main Topics & Structure

1. Opening Banter and Humor about Awards ([00:49]–[07:13])

• The episode opens with the “Cultureta” regulars engaging in witty banter, centering on Nacho Vigalondo’s experience at the Premios Feroz:
  • Nacho humorously laments feeling vulnerable at an award show where he didn't win, and jokes about mixed-up congratulatory messages due to a “Nacho” mix-up with phone numbers.
  • The team rib Nacho on his hopes, the etiquette of who claims a group award, and the "moral winner" concept in the face of defeat.
  • Comparisons are made to other notable award moments, with Almodóvar's absences from the Goya awards and Cela’s Cervantes moments cited as examples where protest or absence can be a strategy.

Memorable Quote:
"Me sentí vulnerable, me sentí desorientado." — Nacho Vigalondo (01:55)

2. “Biografías que hacen lo que pueden” – Filling in Shakespeare’s Gaps ([08:45]–[10:49])

• The segment humorously explores the lack of concrete biographical information on Shakespeare, blending facts with speculation:
  • Shakespeare’s dubious birth date, speculative school education, rushed marriage to Anne Hathaway/Agnes due to pregnancy, and whether Hamlet was inspired by his son Hamnet.
  • The group notes that much about Shakespeare is unknowable, his signatures are even inconsistent, and the “years lost” are entirely mysterious.
  • Discussion broadens to biographical fiction, referencing Shakespeare in Love and Tom Stoppard’s playful reimagining.

Memorable Exchange:
"En realidad, es que no se pueden rellenar [las lagunas biográficas]. Porque… sabemos muy poquito de Shakespeare." — Guillermo Altares (10:52)

3. Hamnet – Novel vs. Film Adaptation ([14:54]–[23:49])

Context and Adaptation Process

• Rosa Belmonte, Sergio del Molino, Rubén Amón, Nacho Vigalondo, and others dissect the recent film adaptation of Hamnet.
• Excerpt from an interview with the director and Maggie O’Farrell explains the collaborative screenplay process and differences from the novel—especially regarding the inclusion of Shakespeare and the play Hamlet in the film's finale.

“Ha sido como un acto de polinización cruzada.” (15:00)
“En ese proceso de adaptación se tomó la decisión de cambiar el final del libro. … En el libro no podían incluir largos fragmentos de Shakespeare, por más que ella quisiera…” — Presentador ([15:14])

Roundtable Opinions

• Sergio del Molino: Loved the novel, but finds the film’s approach undermines its strengths:

  “Parte de la emotividad enorme que tiene Hamnet tiene que ver con la contención y con lo que deja fuera: es justo lo contrario de lo que hace la película. Es como si la película estropeara el proyecto narrativo de Maggie O’Farrell…” (16:20)

• Rubén Amón: Agrees, believes the film trades subtlety for emotional manipulation and explicitness:

  “Hay un momento… que sólo le falta a William Shakespeare, el famoso dramaturgo inglés, autor de Hamlet y tal. Es absurdo se dicen dos veces el monólogo de ser dos veces dicho. Esto es intolerable.” (21:12)

• Rosa Belmonte: Finds both the novel and film to have “falsa carga de profundidad” and criticizes the film’s calculated emotional cues.
• Nacho Vigalondo: Critiques the trend of making writers appear “sex symbol” on screen; notes that prestige is often “un barniz” rather than substance:

  “El prestigio es una cosa que es un traje que uno se pone y hay muchas decisiones estilísticas que te otorgan los demás. No, no, el prestigio es un color.” (22:32)

Comparisons

• Several compare the adaptation to Shakespeare in Love, but judge Hamnet as a failed, overwrought version.

  “Hamnet es claramente una copia de Shakespeare in Love. Lo que pasa es que Hamnet es la versión truñaco. Es la versión truñaco.” — Guillermo Altares (13:11)

On “Prestige” Cinema

• They mock “prestige” as a genre itself; films made to win awards by mimicking arthouse traits, but ultimately offer little substance.
  • Nacho offers examples of movies that drape themselves in prestige but are formulaic underneath ([24:24]).

4. Brief Cultural Recommendations ([27:31]–[30:48])

• Opera: Sergio del Molino recommends “Ariandi, Barbazul de Duká” at the Teatro Real, highlighting its artistic and social significance ([27:50]).
• Books: Guillermo Altares recommends Hervé Letelier’s El nombre sobre el muro (a digressive, metaliterary novel).
• Films: Rubén Amón applauds Nouvelle Vague, about the making of La escapada with Godard, praising director Richard Linklater’s shift post-Boyhood.

5. Closing Tangents & Columns ([30:48]–[32:59])

• Nacho teases his upcoming newspaper column on Oliver Stone’s JFK, discussing the hypnotic power of narrative and words versus images in film.

  “Es pura hipnosis. Es el control de la palabra. Sobre que es de lo que escribo mientras sufro una crisis porque veo que yo no tengo control ni de la imagen ni de la palabra.” (31:28)

• Final jokes about culture, writing, and being misunderstood as artists.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On feeling overlooked:

  “Fui a la cama, como me levanté.” — Nacho Vigalondo ([04:07])

• On biographical gaps and literary fiction:

  “Sabemos muy poquito de Shakespeare. … porque no se publicó en vida.” — Guillermo Altares ([10:52])

• On “prestige” as a genre:

  “El prestigio es una cosa que es un traje que uno se pone… El prestigio es un color.” — Nacho Vigalondo ([22:32])

• On “Hamnet”’s adaptation:

  “La película estropea el proyecto narrativo de Maggie O’Farrell.” — Sergio del Molino (16:20)

• On explicitness in the film:

  “Es absurdo… Esto es intolerable.” — Rubén Amón (21:12)

• On artistic self-critique:

  “El mayor enemigo de un artista lo encuentras en el espejo. Siempre.” — Nacho Vigalondo (32:29)

Key Timestamps

• [00:49]–[07:13]: Award show satire, Nacho’s disappointment, philosophical tangent on recognition
• [08:45]–[10:49]: Biographical gaps of Shakespeare, humor, and the limits of literary history
• [14:54]–[23:49]: In-depth discussion of Hamnet—adaptation, emotional tone, criticism
• [27:31]–[30:48]: Cultural recommendations (opera, novels, cinema)
• [31:04]–[32:59]: Talk of JFK column, the control of narrative, self-deprecation and artist struggles

Style & Tone

• Lively, irreverent, intellectually playful with a mix of sharp literary critique and personal anecdotes.
• Frequent self-aware humor and in-jokes among panelists, giving a sense of camaraderie and skepticism toward cultural “prestige.”

Conclusion

This episode of "La Cultureta" offers a sharp, critical, and humorous take on Hamnet—both as book and film—using it as a lens to discuss adaptation, the construction of literary and cinematic prestige, and the enduring allure of filling in historical gaps with fiction. The roundtable's candid debate, memorable quotes, and cultural pointers make it an enriching listen for those interested in literature, cinema, and the constant tension between art and reputation.