Martín Kohan: 'Who was left cannot stop wondering what happened'

Martín Kohan, an Argentine writer and literature professor, prefers to work in noisy cafes like Mills in Palermo, Buenos Aires, because the internet connection at home distracts him too much. He uses a basic mobile phone that only handles calls and texts.

“

The connection to the internet is what I need not to have. Not because it doesn't attract me, but because it does.

His latest novel, "La Separación," published by Anagrama, tells the story of Fernando, who travels to a small town in Córdoba after his own separation to visit his brother, who has also recently separated. The narrative unfolds through conversations, silences, and small incidents, delving into themes of uncertainty, intimacy, and the subtle dynamics that emerge between people when little seems to be happening.

“

Nothing is more absent in our lives than the telephone, because almost no one talks on the telephone anymore. And, at the same time, everyone has a “telephone” in their hand all the time.

Kohan, who teaches Literary Theory at the University of Buenos Aires, speaks with the passion of an academic deeply engaged with literature and life. During the interview, he also touches upon his previously published works, including "¿Hola? Un réquiem para el teléfono" and "Me acuerdo," which have been reissued. These works, along with "Ciencias Morales" and "Bahía Blanca," are linked by his recurring obsessions: technology, language, love, and memory.

“

If you come watching images with the volume high, you are watching television. The same thing happens in the classroom. If students watch TikTok in class, they are not using a telephone: they are watching television while the teacher explains, and thus they will not learn.

He observes a significant disconnect in how people interact with their phones, which are now essentially pocket computers. Kohan argues that the constant stream of visual content, like TikTok, consumed on these devices in settings like classrooms, transforms the experience into something akin to watching television, hindering genuine learning and concentration. He notes that even his literature students, who have chosen to study the subject, report increased difficulty focusing and reading.

“

They themselves say that they are more dispersed, that they have difficulty concentrating. I also find it more difficult. What they call a telephone is a computer that contains a telephone.