Podcast Summary: Más de uno (OndaCero)

Episode: La dura historia de Marta Jiménez Serrano, una mujer que casi muere por una intoxicación de monóxido de carbono en su piso

Date: February 16, 2026
Host(s): Carlos Alsina (Onda Cero), with an interview panel
Guest: Marta Jiménez Serrano, author of “Oxígeno”

Overview

This episode delves into the harrowing true story of writer Marta Jiménez Serrano, who nearly lost her life due to carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty boiler in her rented apartment. The experience, its aftermath, and the emotional and existential impact on her life inspired her latest book, Oxígeno. With honesty and wit, Marta recounts not only the traumatic event but also how it unveiled deeper themes about mortality, home, relationships, and the ways we process personal tragedy into narrative.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Incident: Survival and Aftermath

• Recounting the event: Marta describes how, in December 2021, she and her husband experienced a near-fatal carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty gas boiler in their apartment. Unaware of the source, they only noticed a growing sense of lethargy and disorientation ([04:57]).
• Negligence and isolation: She discusses the landlord’s lack of responsibility both during and after the incident, emphasizing the trauma caused not only by the event itself but by the lack of empathy and support in its wake ([01:10]–[01:38]).
• Memorable quote:

  “En mi versión el vello se sigue erizando en el antebrazo cada vez que leo en el email que ella no sabía nada, que ella no pagará la mudanza porque no es asunto suyo.”
  —Marta Jiménez Serrano [01:19]

2. Turning Trauma into Literature: The Creation of "Oxígeno"

• Autobiographical nature: Marta explains that Oxígeno is not a fictionalized account but rather an attempt to deliver her experience as unfiltered and raw as possible, though she acknowledges the inevitable literary “tuning” involved ([03:17]).
• Writing process: She experimented with multiple narrative approaches, including fiction, before committing to her own voice and a fragmented, almost filmic, structure ([04:20]–[04:57]).
• Memorable moment:

  “El juego es que lo estoy dando en crudo, tal y como fue, y que esto no es una novela. Ese es el juego de la novela.”
  —Marta Jiménez Serrano [03:17]

3. Exploring Universal Themes

• Beyond the anecdote: Marta stresses that while her near-death experience was traumatic, it alone was not enough for a book. She uses the incident to explore broader themes: mortality, the concept of home, collective vs. individual responsibilities, care, and friendship ([05:40]–[06:34]).
• On mortality: She reflects on the difficulty of living fully aware of death and challenges clichés like “carpe diem” ([13:52]–[14:54]).
• Memorable quote:

  “Yo tenía muy claro desde el principio que la anécdota, por muy brutal que fuera para mí, era absolutamente irrelevante para la humanidad… el gran propósito del libro fue, a partir de ese episodio, como tú dices, llegar a lugares más universales.”
  —Marta Jiménez Serrano [05:40]

4. Public and Private Reactions to Trauma

• Community responses: The insensitivity of some individuals, such as the neighbor who filmed her being taken out on a stretcher, contrasted with the kindness and professionalism of emergency responders ([08:03]).
• The writing process as exposure: The tension between the privacy of writing and the public exposure of publication is examined; Marta finds writing about trauma harder than talking about it afterwards ([09:19]–[10:34]).
• Memorable quote:

  “Hay casi un proceso de descubrimiento. A veces ni sabes qué te pasa. Es difícil ponerlo por escrito luego.”
  —Marta Jiménez Serrano [10:34]

5. Limits and Ethics of Autofiction

• Deciding what to include: Marta is judicious about what parts of her experience to relate, balancing honesty with privacy, legality, and personal comfort. She consciously avoids morbid or voyeuristic content ([11:44]).
• Memorable quote:

  “Yo he intentado en el libro contar lo justo y necesario... he intentado mucho huir de lo morboso, porque había ahí varias escenas que he intentado contar con la mayor elegancia posible.”
  —Marta Jiménez Serrano [11:44]

6. The Lasting Impact of Near-Death

• Personal transformation: Therapy helped Marta process the event; she now values tranquility over the anxiety of perpetual urgency. The experience also affected her relationships and sense of control ([13:52]–[14:54]).
• Healing from anxiety: After an initial spike in hypochondria, she feels she has worked through many of her fears ([14:54]–[15:18]).

7. Reflections on Change, Memory, and Generational Gaps

• Life then and now: Marta contrasts her own unsettled life with the rootedness of her grandmother’s generation, though she remains critical of generational idealization ([19:16]–[20:07]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the trauma of negligence:
  “La casera no solo tuvo una negligencia. Lo más traumático fue que luego se comportó con muy poca humanidad, como si no hubiera pasado nada.”
  —Marta Jiménez Serrano [06:44]

• On sharing personal pain:
  “Es más difícil ponerlo por escrito... Hay casi un proceso de descubrimiento. A veces ni sabes qué te pasa.”
  —Marta Jiménez Serrano [10:30–10:34]

• On boundaries in autobiography:
  “He intentado mucho huir de lo morboso, porque había ahí varias escenas que he intentado contar con la mayor elegancia posible.”
  —Marta Jiménez Serrano [11:44]

• On mortality and living well:
  “A mí en realidad me parece un agobio terrorífico... he aprendido a disfrutar más desde el sosiego, la verdad.”
  —Marta Jiménez Serrano [13:52–14:54]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:08–01:38] – Marta recounts the incident and landlord’s response
• [03:17] – On the genre and narrative approach of "Oxígeno"
• [04:20–04:57] – The process of constructing the book’s structure
• [05:40–06:34] – Turning trauma into universal literary themes
• [08:03–09:19] – The neighbor filming and public reactions to personal tragedy
• [10:30–10:55] – On the difficulty of writing versus talking about trauma
• [11:44] – On boundaries and ethics in autofiction
• [13:52–14:54] – How facing mortality changed her outlook on life
• [19:16–20:11] – Generational shifts in rootedness and lifestyle

Tone and Language

The entire episode maintains a balance: conversational, reflective, sometimes humorous, but always honest. Marta’s tone is open, yet discerning, sometimes ironic and self-aware about the perils of turning trauma into literature. The interview reflects genuine curiosity, with encouragement to probe both the specifics of Marta’s experience and their broader implications.

Closing Remarks

The episode provides a deeply personal yet relatable exploration of survival, personal transformation, and the power of narrative to process trauma. Marta Jiménez Serrano’s Oxígeno emerges as not just a chronicle of near-death, but a meditation on contemporary life, relationships, and memory.

Book Mentioned:
Oxígeno, by Marta Jiménez Serrano