The emerging phenomenon of Latin American literature written by women is expanding throughout the world, garnering awards and readers, and the proof is that the Argentine writer Samanta Schweblin obtained the National Book Award 2022, that has been made public this Thursday, in the category literature translated by his book of stories ‘Five empty houses’, translated into English as ‘Seven empty houses’ by Megan McDowell. She was not the only Latina author who competed, so has the Ecuadorian Mónica Ojeda, with the translation of her novel, ‘Mandíbula’. Curiously, both works have been published on Spanish labels. The winner has done it in Páginas de Espuma, after having obtained the prestigious Ribera del Duero story award in 2015 and Ojeda, in Candaya, a label specialized in making new Latin American voices known. So it should also be noted that the prestigious North American award, which began promoted by booksellers until it was organized by the publishing industry in the mid-50s, has highlighted works that do not come from large publishing groups but from two small independent publishers.
scant translation
Although translation in the context of the American publishing industry occupies a very small percentage, few manage to carve out a place in that coveted market and the National Book, endowed with $10,000, is a direct pass to greater visibility in bookstores. At the delivery ceremony, Schweblin, who moved to New York from Berlin, where she usually resides, the author defined herself as a privileged person “for having a lot of people who have been a great support in all these years.” The writer thanked her partner, her family, some special teachers she had, her translator whom she called Mega Megan, her Spanish editor, Juan Casamayor, from Páginas de Espuma, and her editors in the United States”.
Once the award was announced, Casamayor assured that he did not know “what could be the limit of a book to bring you happiness and give you joy”, highlighting theas 27 editions – the 28th is currently being printed– who already has ‘Seven empty houses’, a book that follows the habitual desire of Latin American writers exploring spaces that border on the strange and the fantastic.
Multipremiada
The multi-award winning Schweblin has been selected for the Booker Prize three times, for ‘Rescue Distance’, ‘Birds in the Mouth’ and ‘Kentukis’, and in 2018 she won the Shirley Jackson Prize for her first novel, as well as the O’ Henry destined for a tale. Authors such as Pilar Quintana, Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, Fernanda Melchor and Alia Trabucco have also appeared on the Booker lists. Schweblin prevailed over ‘New Name Septology VI-VII’, by Norwegian Jon Fosse –a regular on the Nobel lists-; ‘Kibogo’, by the Rwandan Scholastique Mukasonga and ‘Scattered all over the Earth’, by the Japanese Yoko Tawada, in addition to the aforementioned Ojeda.
The fiction and nonfiction categories went to Tess Gunty and Imani Perry for their works ‘The Rabbit Hutch’ and ‘South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to understand the soul of a nation’, respectively. Veteran author of the ‘Maus’ comic, Art Spielgelman, received a lifetime achievement award from him.