Anagrama Invokes Right to 'Literary Creation' to Publish Book on Bretón

Anagrama, the publishing house, invoked its right to publish the book 'El odio', written by Luisgé Martín, on Friday. The book contains the confessions of José Bretón regarding the murder of his two children, Ruth and José, which occurred in 2011. However, the publisher will wait for judicial resolutions to allow the distribution of the work.

"We reaffirm our commitment to editorial responsibility and freedom of expression, knowing that both must coexist. In this regard, we believe that literature can and should address these topics without ignoring the complexity they represent, as Luisgé Martín does in 'El odio'," the publisher argues, noting that the Constitution recognises the fundamental right to literary creation.

Anagrama released this statement after the Barcelona Juvenile Prosecutor's Office filed a request for precautionary measures advocating for the suspension of the book's publication. Additionally, the Barcelona Provincial Prosecutor's Office sent a letter to Anagrama, stating it was considering legal action due to the potential violation of the minors' rights to honour, privacy, and personal image.

"At Anagrama, we are fully aware of the monstrosity of the crimes committed by José Bretón and understand the sensitivity that exploring the condition of the murderer, as addressed by writer Luisgé Martín in 'El odio', may evoke," the publisher argues. However, Anagrama maintains that "literature has always dealt with complex and painful realities, including crimes that have marked entire societies."

Evidence of this is that the method followed by Luisgé Martín—interviewing the murderer—is the same as that used by Truman Capote to write 'In Cold Blood' or Emmanuel Carrère to create 'The Adversary'.

"Luisgé Martín's work attempts to elucidate extreme violence, the conditions under which it occurs, and the philosophical and ethical implications of cruelty as a human impulse, exploring how society and individual psychology converge in acts that challenge morality."

For Anagrama, the literary treatment of 'El odio' "distances itself from and rejects any intention other than presenting the reader with the evil of the murderer without justifying or excusing the crime, but rather, showing its horror."

The publishing label suspended the distribution of the book last Wednesday, pending a thorough review by its legal services, after Ruth Ortiz's representation, the mother of the children murdered by Bretón, sent a burofax to the publisher with a letter warning of the illegality of the book's publication, scheduled for March 26, following a warning from the Córdoba Prosecutor's Office.