At 81, writer Mario Benedetti says he remembers childhood with unusual clarity. The Uruguayan author made the comment while reflecting on how time changes memory and experience. 'Childhood is a privilege of old age,' he said, adding that he does not know why the memories feel sharper now than at any previous point. Benedetti often returned to childhood and death in poems written during his long career. Those subjects are central to his view of aging, where innocence and mortality sit close together. He is particularly known as the author of the novel La tregua, and the interview revisits themes that run throughout his work.