Author: Armando Parra Garzón
Portrait of Ricardo Torres Ortega:
Ricardo, your connection with Sibaté began with a lot of noise. Today, your home is a sanctuary of books and nature. How did that change happen?
One changes over time. When I was young, I loved parties, noise, and crowds. Now, I enjoy the sound of birds, tranquility, and soft music. What has remained constant is my passion and need to work with the community and foster connections—before, through parties and concerts; today, through literary gatherings.
You studied at a prestigious school in Bogotá, near the city center but also close to neighborhoods with fewer opportunities. How did that shape your perspective?
That school was run by religious leaders. During my secondary education, I was instilled with a love for those in need, much like Jesus had. During those years, I engaged in activities with communities in informal settlements and rural areas.
Gloria and you met through books and community work. How did that connection form?
It was a stroke of fate. I arrived in her neighborhood to teach literacy and ended up staying for a long time. We organized a preschool and a community library. We were brought together by our love for reading and the desire to do something meaningful with it. Gloria has always been my accomplice—not only in life but also in this shared belief that art and literature are engines of change. As José Martí said, “To think is to serve.”
Your wedding, with the complicity of Father Manolo, was unconventional. What do you remember about that day?
Manolo understood that we wanted something different. It wasn’t a traditional wedding—it was a poetic pact. We married with poetry and protest music. For us, that made much more sense.
Today, in your home in Sibaté, books coexist with cats and reading promotion projects. What is this space like?
It’s a nest of stories. Here, we plan workshops, gatherings, and strategies to bring books to those who have the least access to them. And it’s not just cats; as Celso Román said when he stayed here: “bipedal, feathered, and furry quadrupedal little creatures that we lovingly welcome.”
If you had to define literature in a single sentence, what would it be?
Literature is a gift for dreaming of possible worlds.
