Original article: «Siembra de cristal»: Lanzan en Chillán libro que rescata la memoria azucarera local Following a well-attended launch in Santiago on April 9, Consuelo Ferrer Durán (Chillán, 1993) returns to her hometown to present her book Siembra de cristal (Ediciones Overol) in the city where her father’s story takes place, Vicente Ferrer, a historic worker at IANSA. The publication transforms grief into an exercise of memory that revives the national industrial past through the specific experiences of families who grew up in the shadow of the sugar industry. Part chronicle and part autobiography, the book weaves together the memories of a family, a profession, and a city.
Vicente Ferrer dedicated 61 years to sugar production at the National Sugar Industry (IANSA), starting at 19 and continuing until his passing at 80, with his clothes always smelling of beet. His coworkers requested that his hearse pass by the factory before heading to the cemetery, and months later, they unveiled a plaque in his honor. Throughout his career, he established a Hunting and Fishing Club, organized barbecues within the factory, and traveled to Europe to inspect production equipment he ultimately chose not to purchase.
The book includes interviews, site visits, photographs, videos, and memories that create a collective portrayal of fatherhood. «It’s exciting for me that this book is presented in the city where I was born and raised, where I lived everything I narrate in it. This is a deeply local story, and that’s why it was essential for me to return,» shares the author.
«My father was somewhat of a celebrity; I felt that way as a child when I accompanied him to the center or the market and realized he knew everyone. I always thought his funeral would be packed at the cathedral, but due to the pandemic, that couldn’t happen. Writing this book felt like performing the rite he deserved,» adds the writer.
Local Context Additionally, the book intersects with local events: on Wednesday, April 29, IANSA announced it will not purchase beets for the 2026-2027 season and will focus solely on refining imported raw cane sugar in its only operational plant. This decision affects an estimated 3,000 farmers, producers, transporters, and collaborators in the area. In this context, the book highlights the uniqueness of Chilean sugar: it comes from the earth, as beets are tubers, unlike cane, which is a stem.
Now, following IANSA’s decision, this identity will become part of the past. Event Details The book will be launched on Saturday, May 16, featuring a conversation between the author and lawyer Beatriz Llanos Berrocal, secretary of Studies at the Faculty of Law of the University of San Sebastián in Concepción, at the Hojalata Cultural Center (18 de Septiembre 175) at 6:00 PM. Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase copies of the book, which the author will sign.
Consuelo Ferrer Durán is a journalist and part of the Communications team at the Rectory of the University of Chile. She also contributes to the digital magazine La Raza Cómica and co-created the podcast Club de Duelo. In 2023, she received the Literary Creation Grant from the Ministry of Cultures.
This is her first book.