Ludus
Reader
Balam Rodrigo (Chiapas, 1974) is, definitely, one of the most brilliant poets in today's Mexican literary landscape. He grew up in the southern part of the country, a territory marked with the trauma of drug trafficking, clandestine migration and racism towards center american travelers and indigenous people alike. He won the Premio Bellas Artes de Poesía Aguascalientes 2018 (one of the most important poetry prizes in México) with his book "Libro centroamericano de los muertos" (roughly translated to Center American Book of the Dead), in which he tells the stories of many guatemalan, salvadorean and honduran people who died trying to sort out Mexican police, narcs, wild animals and the Beast itself (the name given to the giant train that crosses most of Southern México, used by immigrants to travel long distances, but in very fragile, dangerous conditions), just to get to the other side of the border.
I started it today and I'm already halfway through it. I'm baffled by this book. To my knowledge, there is still no English translation, so I might translate a few sections tomorrow. If you know how to read Spanish, I thoroughly encourage you to read this book, it might be cheap on Amazon.
I started it today and I'm already halfway through it. I'm baffled by this book. To my knowledge, there is still no English translation, so I might translate a few sections tomorrow. If you know how to read Spanish, I thoroughly encourage you to read this book, it might be cheap on Amazon.