Podcast Summary: Más de Uno – La veta cultureta: Anatomía de una lista

Host: OndaCero
Date: December 18, 2025
Segment Host: Carlos Zoomer

Overview

In this episode of "Más de Uno," Carlos Zoomer delves into the concept and significance of lists within culture, specifically through the lens of a recent ranking of the 50 best Spanish books of the last 50 years, published by El País. Using humor and sharp cultural commentary, Zoomer explores what lists mean, why we make them, and walks through highlights from the list, reflecting on the impact of selected books and the motivations behind such rankings.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Purpose of Lists

• Lists as Tools:
  Zoomer opens with a playful interrogation—"¿Para qué sirve una lista?"—highlighting that lists can exist for everything: best restaurants, best actors, best moments.
  • "Una lista sirve para vender antes que nada..." (00:03)
    They are mainly for selling, whether products, ideas, or simply generating clicks.
• Self-promotion & Canon Formation:
  Lists are compared to awards, acting as tools for promotion and self-promotion but also vehicles for popularization, reflection, and fun.
• Personal Experience:
  Zoomer recounts his enjoyable experience as a juror for the "50 mejores libros españoles de los últimos 50 años," linking personal anecdotes to broader cultural trends.

Highlights from El País' List

Zoomer reads some standout titles and ranks, mixing brief commentary and literary insight:

• No. 42 – Arrugas, Paco Roca:
  Noteworthy for being the only graphic novel on the list—an "espaldarazo" (boost) for the genre.
• No. 40 – Las armas y las letras, Andrés Trapiello:
  "La gran obra de consulta sobre la literatura española de la Guerra Civil..." (00:30)
  A fundamental resource for anyone studying Spanish Civil War literature.
• No. 29 – Un amor, Sara Mesa:
  "Pauta de la novísima literatura española."
  Represents the new wave of modern Spanish literature.
• No. 26 – Romanticismo, Manuel Longares:
  Captures a microcosm of the Salamanca neighborhood during Franco’s twilight.
• No. 15 – Patria, Fernando Aramburu:
  Requires no introduction, lingered on bestseller lists for years.
• No. 14 – Los Santos Inocentes, Miguel Delibes:
  Delibes’ only entry due to the post-1975 cutoff—"muy bienvenido sea."
• No. 11 – El infinito en un junco, Irene Vallejo:
  "Fenómeno editorial"—demonstrates power of popular non-fiction and its effect on book culture.
• No. 8 – La verdad sobre el caso Sabolta, Eduardo Mendoza:
  Mendoza’s 1975 debut signaled the new Spanish literature in a time of immense change.
• No. 6 – Soldados de Salamina, Javier Cercas:
  Cercas himself says no one knows why some books succeed:
  "Nadie sabe exactamente por qué un libro triunfa, por qué conecta con los lectores..." (01:05)
• No. 5 – Anatomía de un instante, Javier Cercas:
  Presents the recent Spanish past "en toda su complejidad apasionante."
• No. 3 – El cuarto de atrás, Carmen Martín Gaite:
  She manages to place four books in the top 50—"queda canonizada."
• No. 2 – Crematorio, Rafael Chirves:
  Called an "aguafiestas" of a novel—uncompromising, sharp, critically essential.
• No. 1 – Un corazón tan blanco, Javier Marías:
  "El Marías más consensuadamente redondo y rotundo que se murió sin novia." (02:05)
  A book emblematic of Spain’s cultural projection in the early '90s.

Reflections on the Function of Lists

• Setting the Canon:
  "Sirve para que los mandarines fijen el canon, para registrar coyuntura y…" (02:15)
• Reader's Anxiety:
  Lists cause stress about all the works yet unread—"para estresarte con todo lo pendiente antes de morir."
• Impermanence:
  The closing lines are poetic meditations on the transience of lists and memory:
  "Nada permanece, todo se desvanece. Sé que no puedo quejarme, trataré de no engañarme. Simple cuestión de tiempo..."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Sales Function of Lists:
  "Una lista sirve para vender antes que nada... ya sean gofres o películas o clics, por supuesto." – Carlos Zoomer (00:03)
• On Literary Canon:
  "Sirve para que los mandarines fijen el canon..." – Carlos Zoomer (02:15)
• On the Mystery of Literary Success:
  "Nadie sabe exactamente por qué un libro triunfa, por qué conecta con los lectores de su tiempo en el momento exacto." – Carlos Zoomer, quoting Javier Cercas (01:05)
• On Literary Legacy and Mortality:
  "Nada permanece, todo se desvanece. Sé que no puedo quejarme, trataré de no engañarme. Simple cuestión de tiempo..." – Carlos Zoomer (02:30)

Key Timestamps

• 00:01 – Introduction: The cultural obsession with lists
• 00:25 – Discussion of El País’ list and notable selections
• 01:05 – Reflection on literary trends and the unpredictability of success
• 02:15 – Deeper musings on canons, stress for readers, impermanence

Tone & Style

Carlos Zoomer’s commentary is witty, reflective, and lightly irreverent. He blends deep respect for literature with sharp social observation, maintaining an engaging, conversational style throughout.

Summary prepared for those seeking an insightful, entertaining recap of this episode without needing to listen in full.