Podcast Summary: "Radioficción – Episodio 16: Entrevista a Julio Verne"

Podcast: Más de uno (Onda Cero)
Host: Carlos Alsina
Aired: December 17, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode is a playful, metafictional radio-theatre piece in which writer Sergio del Molino, Carlos Alsina, and their team "interview" the legendary sci-fi author Julio Verne (portrayed brilliantly by Luis Grandío). The conversation blends fact and fiction, exploring the power of imagination, the boundaries between readers and writers, and the humble reality of Verne’s own life against the boundless scope of his literary journeys. It’s a dialogue full of humor, nostalgia, and literary reflection—celebrating the spirit of storytelling and its impact on readers and would-be writers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Fictional Ambience (00:03–03:17)

• The episode opens with playful banter about "radioficción," noting: “Es mentira, pero está pasando.” (A, 00:03)
• Sergio del Molino and Carlos Alsina joke about Christmas treats while simulated rain and a cozy, old-fashioned French set are described to immerse listeners in Verne’s Nantes.
• Reveals the artificiality of the setting with meta-comments on sound effects and clichés, emphasizing the show’s self-awareness.

  “La lluvia, la tormenta... Es toda una puesta en escena de nuestro magnífico equipo de decoradores y sonideros.” (C, 01:09)

2. Enter Julio Verne (03:17–05:19)

• Verne "arrives" for the interview, modestly unsettled by the attention.

  “Gracias, gracias. No estoy acostumbrado a estas multitudes. Me aturden un poco.” (A, 03:39)

• Atmospheric details (biscuits, coziness) help bring Verne to life as a quietly eccentric homebody.
• Introduces a playful conflict: Sergio’s adoration for Verne, contrasted with Carlos’s comic interruptions.

3. The Personal Impact of Verne’s Books (05:19–06:43)

• Sergio confesses that as a child, he devoured Verne’s books, comparing them to galletas de mantequilla (“butter cookies”), admitting overindulgence.
• Highlights how Verne’s stories influenced not just the imagination but vocational choices.

  “Los viajes extraordinarios. Así se titulan mis novelas.” (A, 04:58)

• Recurring joke: who the real focus of the “interview” is—Verne or his fan.

  “Me invitan para entrevistarme, pero el que me está contando su vida es usted.” (A, 05:58)

4. Dreaming of Being a Writer, Not an Adventurer (06:43–08:22)

• Sergio reveals an unusual wish—not to replicate Verne’s characters’ adventures, but to be the person inventing them.

  “Yo no quería ser el capitán Nemo... Yo quería ser usted.” (C, 07:10)

• Verne, self-deprecatingly, questions why anyone would want his sedentary life:

  “Ni los escritores queremos ser escritores... Si yo hubiera podido elegir me habría quedado en este salón... donde no hay aventuras, ni pasiones, ni nada de nada.” (A, 07:19)

• The segment explores the paradox of how someone so renowned for adventure hardly left his provincial town, affirming:

  “Si me hubiera dedicado a recorrer el mundo no habría tenido tiempo de escribir, o se escribe o se tienen aventuras. Hay que elegir.” (A, 08:50)

5. Literature’s Transformative Power & Closing Thoughts (08:22–11:07)

• Sergio thanks Verne for making him a writer, not an explorer, insisting that literature can give “el sentido del mundo.”

  “Le estoy agradeciendo mi vocación y haber encontrado el sentido del mundo. Sin usted yo sería otro.” (C, 08:22)

• Verne feigns reluctance to accept such a burden, maintaining his dry wit.
• The episode wraps up with the hosts breaking the fourth wall: admitting the nature of the episode (an "autoficción," or self-referential fiction), expressing gratitude, and jokily lamenting Sergio's “caradura” (shamelessness).

  “Esto se llama jeta. Se llama caradura.” (C, 10:41)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Meta-humor and irony throughout:

  “Les estamos ofreciendo radioficción. Es mentira, pero está pasando.” (A, 00:03)

• On the artificiality of literary ambiance:

  “La lluvia... es toda una puesta en escena... Es el truco más viejo del cine.” (C, 01:09/01:18)

• On why Sergio wanted to be a writer:

  “Yo leía sus novelas... no envidiaba al capitán Nemo sino al señor sentado a esta mesa que llenaba folios y folios en Nantes.” (C, 07:10)

• Verne’s wry wisdom:

  “El escritor escribe porque no quiere ser escritor. Y el lector lee porque no quiere ser lector.” (A, 07:44)

• The paradox of adventure and writing:

  “Si me hubiera dedicado a recorrer el mundo no habría tenido tiempo de escribir, o se escribe o se tienen aventuras. Hay que elegir.” (A, 08:50)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:03–03:17 – Atmosphere, jokes about the setting and rain, intro of Sergio del Molino
• 03:17–05:19 – Arrival of Julio Verne; humor in introductions
• 05:19–06:43 – Influence of Verne’s books; Sergio’s personal anecdote
• 06:43–08:22 – Sergio’s desire to be Verne; the contrast between living adventures and inventing them
• 08:22–09:12 – Gratitude, metafictional thanks, Verne’s reluctance to accept “responsibility”
• 09:12–10:41 – Breaking the fourth wall, explanations of the episode’s structure and tone
• 10:41–11:07 – Farewells, holiday greetings, self-referential humor

Tone & Style

The episode is witty, literary, and layered with meta-humor. The speakers slip between sincere reflection and playful banter, faithfully capturing the warmth of radio theatre and the self-effacing wisdom that fans of Verne (and radioficción) cherish.

Perfect for listeners who enjoy literary nostalgia, metafiction, or unique interpretations of history’s great writers—served with a side of Spanish wit.