Category Archives: Latin American Literature

The Last Twist of the Knife – João Almino (Author), Elizabeth Lowe (Translator)

Posted on April 12, 2021 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) “Pieces of the past arrive that either frighten me or invite me to a reunion. It’s what I see, what I hear. The rest I imagine…” A seventy-year-old lawyer decides to abandon his current life in … Continue reading →

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It Is Wood, It Is Stone – Gabriella Burnham

Posted on July 28, 2020 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) “I don’t even think I want to flee anymore. I thought that was what I wanted, but I think more so I wanted to disappear. I wanted to become so unburdened that I would actually become … Continue reading →

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House of Beauty- Melba Escobar (Author), Elizabeth Bryer (Translator)

Posted on February 13, 2019 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “I also hate the ladies of Bogotá among whom I count myself, though I do all I can to stand apart. I hate their habit of using the term “Indians” to refer to people they consider … Continue reading →

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Poso Wells- Gabriela Alemán (Translated from the Spanish by Dick Cluster)

Posted on September 3, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Something crouches in the streets of Poso Wells, and it attaches the nerves like a persistent drumbeat. Whatever it is haunts the dreams of the residents, panting I their faces, slobbering them with noxious saliva and … Continue reading →

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Sexographies – Gabriela Wiener (translated from the Spanish by Jennifer Adcock and Lucy Greaves)

Posted on June 12, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Gabriela Wiener is not just any journalist. This Peruvian-born writer prefers to experience topics first-hand. That may even involve putting herself in extreme and often risky situations and then writing about her participation. So when it … Continue reading →

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Affections: A Novel – Rodrigo Hasbún , Translated from the Spanish by Sophie Hughes

Posted on October 20, 2017 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung)   Affections is an intriguing work of historical fiction based on true events following the once- close Ertl family. Hans, the patriarch, was a Nazi propaganda cinematographer, and the family fled Munich and arrived in La … Continue reading →

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The End – Fernanda Torres (Translated from the Portuguese by Alison Entrekin)

Posted on July 22, 2017 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “There’s something a bit queer in every male friendship. Fucking the same women is a roundabout way of fucking each other. And in the same physical space, it’s a fine line. But there’s no way—not joking, … Continue reading →

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The Tower of the Antilles – Achy Obejas

Posted on July 18, 2017 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “We explained that where we come from the greatest achievement is to leave.” And leaving Cuba means reinventing oneself in a new country. The Tower of the Antilles is one of ten short stories centering on … Continue reading →

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The Cowboy Bible and Other Stories – Carlos Velázquez (Translated from the Spanish by Achy Obejas )

Posted on March 6, 2016 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “The sacrilege I’d committed two hours earlier of breaking dozens of records proved irrelevant. The Cowboy Bible didn’t respond either. I tore at it, implored it, cursed it, and still failed.” These are the words of … Continue reading →

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Women with Big Eyes – Angeles Mastretta, (Translated from the Spanish by Amy Schildhouse Greenberg)

Posted on June 7, 2015 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “A shiver ran down Paulina Trasloheros’s back. This man was horrible, excessive, outrageous. To exorcise him, she would have to commit a string of sins for which she could never repent. Not even when he decided … Continue reading →

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