The David Walliams phenomenon (London, 1971) is difficult to explain. He has gone from being one of the great British comedians, author and star of series like Little Britain, with its acid humor and nothing politically correct… to being one of the most important authors of children’s and youth literature, with 56 million books. sold and translations into 55 languages. And all since he published The Incredible Story of the Boy in the Dress (Montena, in Spanish and Catalan), a story about the difference, with a boy who is a soccer ace but also wears girl’s dresses. A story that connects with his own childhood. Since then he has translated the “explosive” humor of Little Britain to a more controlled one in the popular book series The Amazing Story of…, from The Gangster Grandma to The Big-Headed Monster to The Exceptional Friend. This Monday he will be the town crier for Sant Jordi in El Born and he takes his responsibility seriously. In addition, he will sign books on Tuesday at Abacus l’ Illa (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and Casa Seat (5 p.m. to 7 p.m., with prior registration on the website).
He has written the incredible story of many characters. Which one is David Walliams?
The surprise of this success. I never thought I would be in Madrid talking about my books because I didn’t imagine they would be published outside the United Kingdom. Not anywhere. It’s surreal. Sometimes I pinch myself to remind myself not to take anything for granted.
How did television humor change because of children’s books?
In children’s books you can’t be so thuggish or rude. But I like to take the things I created with Matt Lucas and apply them. The children were big fans of Little Britain, because its characters were very cartoon-like. And when I was little I liked to watch comedies that weren’t supposed to be for me. You have to have a balance between what is acceptable in children’s books and making them feel like they are reading something a little forbidden. Roald Dahl’s books, for example, give you the feeling of entering a world of danger, of humor, a little beyond your age. Children have that aspiration. It is important not to condescend to them.
Does that explain your success?
I think they want to be entertained and I try to do that. I try to encourage children to read, especially those who find it more difficult, by creating fun stories. They’re not books that teachers want kids to read, but I hope they’re ones that they want to read on their own without having a gun pointed at their heads. Reading for fun, for pleasure, is very important.
How did you start writing the book ‘The Boy in the Dress’?
I got a letter from a kid when we were making Little Britain. He sent me a photo of him dressed as Emily Howard, one of the characters in the series. He went 16 or 17 years ago. It was costume day at school and I thought ‘look how brave’, because sometimes boys resist being considered effeminate. And I thought: What if, outside of costume day, a boy wants to do that for his own reasons? I thought there was an interesting story about what it’s like to be different and celebrate differences. The book was a modest success, but I enjoyed writing it. Then that boy came to a library for one of my readings in London and struck a chord with me. I realized that he could achieve an emotional journey with books that he couldn’t with a sketch. And I started another career.
The story of the boy in the dress has to do with his childhood.
Yes. I also did it when I was little, dressed up in plays or because my sister dressed me up as a girl, because she wanted a little sister and not me. I thought it was fun, it’s always been a part of my life. Matt Lucas and I have played many women in our sketches. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed. Not with erotic pleasure, but with pleasure. It’s fun to look in the mirror and see yourself different. And changing gender is a big change. Any chance I got, I dressed as a woman. I was The Boy in the Dress, that’s why I wrote it.
Would your scripts for ‘Little Britain’ be possible today?
Depends. It was made for the BBC, a public television station, responsible for pleasing everyone. But on Netflix it wouldn’t matter, there’s Ricky Gervais, Dave Chappelle, and people like to be scandalized a little. I don’t think it’s bad. We remember the Sex Pistols, Robert Mapplethorpe or works like The Pee Christ that are designed to shock in a way that we may not remember others. We should not forget the power of shocking. But comedy is more difficult today because being creative you want to be free to say anything and now you think: someone is not going to like this. But in comedy nothing can be sacred. And we all like different things. I wouldn’t take my mother to a Mapplethorpe show. He likes Downton Abbey. We must understand that we all like different things and be more tolerant of the tastes of others. Or we destroy creativity. On the street they ask me when the next Little Britain will be, many miss the explosive humor of 20 years ago.
What will he say in the proclamation?
They never ask me for these things in the UK. I’ve spent time working on it. I hope it is received well or I will be the first and last Brit to give it away. I want to convey the importance of finding ways for children to pick up books and read for pleasure, with the effect that this has on the rest of their lives: they become readers. But don’t start with Shakespeare or Dickens. We should not be snobs and look down on entertainment.
