She opens the doors of her home. Soledad Costantini, editor and director of Malba Literatura, poses with her husband, Eugenio Aguirre.
Saying that her father is the financier, real estate developer, and collector Eduardo Costantini might be a good start, but it's not enough. Saying that her mother is the actress, producer, and film director María Teresa Correa Ávila might add another layer of information, but it's still not enough. "I'm a mix of everything I've loved and love," says Soledad Costantini , the woman who has directed Malba Literatura for twenty-five years. She founded the publishing house El hilo de Ariadna with Leandro Pinkler, co-created the Buenos Aires International Book Fair (FILBA) with Pablo Braun, and is the manager of the Malba Writers' Residency (REM). And she adds: “My father is a great world-opener, a visionary; and my mother, a generous and creative woman who knows how to make room for others. But forget about me being 'the daughter of'… because you are what you are! You are someone who has to take care of searching for who you are and what your purpose is. I bear my last name like anyone else bears theirs… because the fame of that last name came when I was an adult and already focused on my search.”
Soledad is 57 years old, has seven siblings [Marité, Mariana, Eduardo, Tomás, Gonzalo, Malena and Kahlo Milagro], four children [Delfina, 37, architect; Emilio, 32, businessman; Joaquín, 22, studying Economics and Business Administration; and Candelaria, 20, studying Medicine; all from her first marriage of 30 years to Emilio Muniz Barreto], two granddaughters [Mar, 6, and Lou, 3], a smile that makes her curious eyes squint, and a tireless drive that keeps her always active: “You go looking for what you need to know yourself; and, for me, the path of literature and philosophy is infinite. Reading helps, entertains, and makes you evolve. My parents, who had such diverse interests, opened the door to an infinite number of readings. I approached literature from other angles: from Mafalda and Isidoro Cañones to the great poets and classical authors, passing through philosophers, mystics, and Buddhist masters, depending on the moment in my life. I am not an intellectual, I am a reader. At one point, I wanted to dedicate myself to writing, but the role of editor was born naturally,” she will say in this chat with ¡HOLA! Argentina where, for the first time, she opens the doors of her house accompanied by Eugenio Aguirre (62), her love for more than six years.
–How did you meet?
Soledad: We've known each other for a long time. We have mutual friends, and my son, Joaquín, and his son, Julio, have been schoolmates since elementary school. [In addition to Julio, Eugenio is the father of Carmen, the fruit of his marriage to Solana Gassiebayle; they both live in the United States.]
Eugenio: For years, we shared school events and get-togethers, both married, each with their own families. Soledad was, to me, a school mom: I didn't even look at her. A few years ago, a friend joined us in a group of estranged people: they organized outings and banded together when someone was having a hard time... At that point, we were both already estranged. My friends started pointing Sole out to me, but, to me, she was still a school mom. One summer, after running into her a couple of times, I began to see her differently. A glance, a laugh, lit the spark. I fell in love unexpectedly.
–You both come from long-term relationships. Was it difficult for you to put your lives together?
Eugenio: Things came together for us more than we did for them. At first, I admit I was a little intimidated: she was an avid reader, and I read very little; she's cautious, reserved, and more of a one-on-one dialogue type, and I sometimes have a sense of humor that goes way over the top. "This is going to be a problem," I thought. However, it was all organic. What we felt grew more and more.
Soledad: My relationship with Eugenio was, for me, a blessing; a stroke of love that surprised me. He's my best friend, the guardian of my heart, the man who protects me. We're close companions and have a deep, honest, and passionate relationship. The more we get to know each other, the more we love each other. We're getting married in an intimate ceremony on May 1, 2024, in Bali.
–And what about living together? One might imagine that both of them, each with their own thing, must be somewhat fussy…
Soledad: No! Very relaxed. I love that he's organized and knows everything he knows about decorating. He was in charge of the interior design of this house, which is almost 30 years old and was built from scratch in several stages. My daughter Delfina, an architect, did the final renovation, and Eugenio put his stamp on it.
Eugenio: During the pandemic, I set up the gallery area and began developing new furniture prototypes, like the nightstands in the master bedroom. And it was quite a challenge to tackle the living room bookcase… because I'm practically forbidden from intervening in the studio's library, where Sole keeps her reference books! [Laughs]. I decided to paint the living room bookcase black, and then I suggested rearranging some books to add lighting and incorporating her favorite objects: corals and stones. Soledad brings back energy stones, like quartz and amethyst, from every trip she takes. I also suggested rearranging her books. Negotiation was quite difficult there [Laughs].
Soledad: He turned the library upside down! He placed some books lying down and others upright, but upside down: you can't even see their spines! Eugenio is always looking to create environments with warmth and character. He wanted to give the library a vibe, but he was afraid that, for people in the book world, it would come across as provocative. It turned out cool. Although it looks messy, it has an order that I understand: I know exactly where to place the Latin American authors, the poetry.
–They say that in love after 50, when the children have grown up, there is more time for enjoyment and new projects.
Eugenio : Yes. And, in our case, we pinch ourselves every day to make sure what happens to us is real. We share the same connection with Sole: we cultivate the freedom to choose what we do and we consciously enjoy this moment in our lives. We like to spend weekends surrounded by nature. She loves water and showed me how incredible swimming is. We go hiking and watch movies… before, she just read, read, and read! Sole never stops reading, but now she also watches Netflix. [Laughs]. We encourage each other. For example, I love that she's started studying photography and that she shows off her photo collages, which are incredible.
Soledad: The truth is, I have a lot of fun with Eugenio: we chat, we share. He's currently working on a new project that marks the launch of interior design into the real estate market , and he never fails to support me with my concerns and respects my priorities. I believe in a close-knit family: for me, family and affection are the most important things. I grew up in a large family and I also built a large, close-knit family. I have four wonderful children and two granddaughters, who are the light of my eyes. I also believe in never abandoning the path of one's own evolution. Some things turn out better and others not so much, but I keep going. I am persistent; I practice perseverance, I exercise it, and I make decisions. I am convinced that you can have more or less talent, but without perseverance, you will hardly ever reach a successful conclusion. I have always worked with words and images. And, in recent years, I have immersed myself in photography. Not content with just a layer, I began experimenting with photos and more photos. I spend hours delving into images, seeking to achieve abstraction, which is so concrete at the same time. Now I'm ready for those images to come to light.
Production: Paola Reyes
Makeup: Nahuel Puentes for Sebastián Correa
We thank Eva Guzmán for the hairstyle
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