SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Less than $3 per week
In the 1960s, a revolutionary literary movement burst onto the world publishing scene in what would become the Latin American boom.
The foreign good fortune of authors such as the Colombian Gabriel García Márquez, the Argentine Julio Cortázar and the Peruvian Mario Vargas Llosa propelled Latin American fiction to the forefront of the 20th century literary scene. Today we are witnessing a boom moment, according to the judges of the Booker International Prize. South American authors represent “almost a quarter” of this year’s prize winners, The Bookseller reported.
Argentinian poet and novelist Selva Almada, Venezuelan writer Rodrigo Blanco Calderón, Brazilian short story writer Itamar Vieira Junior and Peruvian “chronicler” Gabriela Wiener have all been longlisted for the prize, which recognises the best novels and short stories with translations published in the UK or Ireland last year. The list “highlights the growing pool of talented South American writers, signaling a second ‘boom’ in Latin American fiction”, said prize administrator Fiammetta Rocco.
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Harriet Marsden is editor of The Week, which basically covers news and politics from the UK and the world. Prior to joining the site, she worked as a freelance journalist for seven years, focusing on social issues, gender equality, and culture. She has worked for The Guardian, The Times and The Independent, and has written articles for The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The New Statesman, Tortoise Media and Metro, as well as BBC Radio London, Times Radio and Woman’s Hour. She holds an MSc in International Journalism from City University London and was awarded the Local Trust General Journalists Fellowship in 2021.