Irene Vallejo never imagined she would become a global literary sensation. In 2019, the Spanish author and academic published an essay about a somewhat obscure topic: the history of books. After a short literary career, in which she published a couple of novels and children’s books, Irene thought “Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World” would be her last book. Instead, it became an international bestseller, connecting millions of readers to the millenary history of caring for books.

Irene began to work on “Papyrus” for therapeutic reasons: her father had been diagnosed with cancer, and her son also was sick. Sitting and waiting in hospital rooms for hours on end, the book became her refuge. “I was writing about the way books can save us and, at the same time, writing this book was saving me,” Irene told Latino USA.

When the book was published, it became a literary phenomenon. Translated into 38 languages,  it has found readers in over 170 countries. It also turned Irene into a literary celebrity—she’s spent the last few years traveling the world to talk about her book.

In this episode, Irene opens up about the difficult circumstances in which she wrote “Papyrus,” the ways she managed to make ancient history come to life, and how she navigates the negative side of global fame.

Featured image by Toni Galán.

This episode was produced by Roxana Aguirre and edited by Victoria Estrada. Reporting by Peniley Ramírez. It was mixed by Andy Bosnak.