From Not to Read, which was published in the UK in April by Fitzcarraldo Editions. Zambra is the author of five novels, as well as short stories and poems. Translated from the Spanish by Megan McDowell.

I  always take books when I travel, even on short trips. When it’s time to pack, I choose them impulsively, but the decisions follow a kind of logic. For example, I tend to bring two or three novels whose company I feel I need. It’s absurd, it’s romantic, but I just feel safer with two or three novels that I’ve read many…