This week, our writers bring you the latest news from Argentina, Central America, and the United States. In Argentina, Chris Andrews’s forthcoming translation of César Aira’s novel The Divorce was awarded a PEN Translates award; in Guatemala, a new posthumous collection by Kaqchikel Maya writer Luis de Lión was published; and in the United States, bookstores and libraries have been supporting the Black Lives Matter protests by publishing recommended reading lists. Read on to find out more!
Allison Braden, Editor-at-Large, reporting from Argentina
English PEN announced the winners of its PEN Translates award earlier this month, and among them was Chris Andrews’s translation of César Aira’s The Divorce, forthcoming from And Other Stories in 2021. The Argentine author and translator continues to have a powerful influence both at home and abroad. His short novel Artforum, published in March by New Directions, earned glowing praise in an April NPR review: “Aira is unencumbered. He does what he does, and what we receive is giddy, unquestionably self-indulgent, and yet absolutely perfect.” The review, it should be noted, doesn’t reference the translator, Katherine Silver. It’s almost unbelievable that Aira can work at such a remarkable pace—he publishes two or three short novels a year—and continue to get such good reviews. (His most recent release in Argentina, Fulgentius, was also lauded.) The good news is that his pace of writing ensures work for translators and new releases into English for years to come.
Perhaps soon there will be a service to have Aira’s new releases delivered to your door monthly. Buenos Aires is a hotbed for independent publishers, and book clubs have sprung up as a way to promote and discuss new offerings. In a market inundated with new books each month—at least until recently—the clubs also provide vetting and a way to make sense of the noise. Some require members to obtain the book themselves, but others do the task of curating and sending members their selections each month. Pez Banana works this way (the name, which means banana fish, is a homage to Salinger). Founded by two veterans of the Buenos Aires publishing industry, Florencia Ure and Santiago Llach, the service sends a new release novel and reading guide each month. Among other book club choices, Bukku also sends out a monthly selection, and the decision of which service to subscribe to may come down to what else is in the box: Bukku deliveries include the book, a bookmark, a playlist curated by the author, and a surprise book-related, locally designed gift. Sign me up.
José García Escobar, Editor-at-Large, reporting from Central America
In early May, Guatemala’s Ediciones del Pensativo released El papel de la belleza, a collection of poetry by Kaqchikel Maya writer Luis de Lión. The book includes poems from 1972 until the very last poem he finished on May 14, 1984, a day before the Guatemalan police kidnapped, disappeared, and, weeks later, killed him. Days after the release of the book, on the anniversary of Luis’s death, Ediciones del Pensativo celebrated the IV Jornadas de la Memoria, during which they and the Guatemalan literary community honor Luis’s work and life. El papel de la belleza is Luis’s tenth posthumous publication. Luis de Lión is best known for his novel Time Commences in Xibalbá.
Centroamérica Cuenta, the region’s most prestigious and famed literary festival, continues its online series, “Autores en Cuarentena.” Following the social distancing recommendations, Centroamérica Cuenta has put together writers, poets, and journalists. Recent conversations include Fernanda Melchor (Mexico) speaking with José Adiak Montoya (Nicaragua), and Oscar Martínez (El Salvador) interviewing Élmer Mendoza (Mexico). Guatemala’s beloved bookstore SOPHOS has also started a similar effort, most notably pairing Arnoldo Gálvez Suárez with Rodrigo Fuentes.
Clémence Lucchini, Educational Arm Assistant, reporting from the United States
In the midst of Black Lives Matter protests, and to cope with demand as many books on police brutality and anti-racism are out of stock or in the process of being reprinted, public libraries and local bookstores in the Northeast have come up with reading lists. They span everything from fiction to nonfiction, and from audiobooks to hard copies or free digital editions. An extensive list is available from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a part of the New York Public Library system, which is ninety-five books long. In Boston, the Boston Public Library has created a list of titles that remain available in many formats if you desire to use their “BLP To Go” program, which will launch on June 22. The bookstore Brookline Booksmith also released a list of resources which you can buy or get access to for free, with the link provided at the end of each book description.
Last March, as states were shutting down and confirmed cases of the coronavirus were rising, I had almost lost hope for my annual trip to New York City from Boston to attend BookCon, the annual book convention created to grow the popularity of the annual book trade fair BookExpo America. These events, which were originally postponed to July, moved online to my huge delight. Whilst the experience from my kitchen table and the energy and the restlessness of these live events were drastically different, it appears that they reached a larger crowd. Nantucket Book Festival’s answer to the pandemic was also to move online but Boston Book Festival has yet to announce what is going to happen in the Fall as Massachusetts progressively reopens. It has, however, launched a citywide writing project called “At Home Boston,” accepting submissions until June 30.
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