Panel Presentation Focuses on Spanish Literature in Translation

September 30, 2013

On Friday, October 4, 2013, the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute (LAII) will partner with Instituto Cervantes of Albuquerque to welcome Spanish author Ignacio Martínez de Pisón and translator Anne McLean (who has handled translations of Cortázar, Enrique Vila-Matas, and Javier Cercas, among others) to the University of New Mexico. These two literary figures were critical contributors to the book Spain's Great Untranslated, an anthology of twelve contemporary Spanish masters whose dazzling work has been unavailable in the English-language world, until now. Dr. Santiago Vaquera-Vásquez, Assistant Professor in the UNM Department of Spanish and Portuguese and faculty affiliate with the LAII, will moderate the discussion. The presentation will be held from 12:00-1:00 p.m. in the UNM Student Union Building, Mirage-Thunderbird rooms, with a book-signing to follow afterward. For reference, see the event flyer.

Spain's Great Untranslated brings awareness of the works of these great authors as well as promotes further appreciation for great Spanish writers in this country. The authors personally selected their featured works for the anthology. The publication includes diverse genres, including, fiction, and essays -- each portraying various literary landscapes. Fernando Aramburu delivers a kaleidoscopic report on the 2004 Madrid subway bombing; Berta Vias Mahou finds children puzzling out maternal mystery; César Antonio Molina crosses bridges and hugs the coastline in Greece; and Juan Eduardo Zúñiga imagines the idyll at the end of the world. The book also includes fiction by Miquel de Palol, Ignacio Martínez de Pisón, and Pedro Zarraluki, and poetry by Juan Antonio Masoliver Ródenas and Olvido Garcia Valdés.

Albuquerque, New Mexico is one of a select number of cities comprising this book's publication tour of the United States. To recognize the contributions of these magnificent writers to the Spanish-speaking world, and to recognize their visit to campus, the LAII has developed a supplementary resource for the campus community: an exhibit dedicated to the writings of these authors. On display in the LAII lobby is a temporary display of books which were written by these authors and which are available for check-out from University Libraries' LIBROS catalog. Many more can be found on the shelves of Zimmerman Library. Visit the LAII during regular working hours to browse the sample selection.