IT has been a remarkable year for Latinx and Latin American literature in Britain, with books of fiction, non-fiction and poetry exploring a rich culture, traditions, individual stories, and a whole region still much under-represented in the British publishing world.

Memoir & Fiction

In 2023, one of the most notable publications was Solito (Oneworld, £10.99) by Salvadorian-American poet and activist Javier Zamora. The memoir tells the story of Zamora’s journey as a nine-year-old nicknamed Chepito to reunite with his parents in the US. They had fled El Salvador due to the civil war and lack of opportunities.

Zamora’s journey lasted seven weeks and spanned over 4,000 kilometres. It is a remarkable contribution to migration literature, portraying the challenges and hope of those who embark on such journeys.

Latin American literature has experienced a notable revival of the Gothic genre in recent years. Giovanna Rivero, a Bolivian writer, is a key figure in this movement. Rivero’s Fresh Dirt From the Grave (Charco Press, £11.99) is a collection of short stories about sexual abuse, religion, violence against indigenous communities, and revenge.

The story revolves around Elise, a teenager who experiences a life-changing event that is both dramatic and unforgettable.

Charco Press has also published Confession (£11.99), a gripping triptych novel by Argentinian Martin Kohan and translated by Daniel Hahn, that masterfully weaves together themes of love, sexuality, religion, violence, family and national tragedy, and personal ambition. 

This year saw the publication of an Argentinian classic, January (Archipelago books, £14), by Sara Gallardo and translated by Frances Riddle and Maureen Shaughnessy. It is a beautifully written novel that tells the story of a 16-year-old farmworker from the Argentinian pampas who, after being sexually abused by a local farmer, faces the prospect of an abortion or becoming a young, ostracised mother. Originally published in 1958, Gallardo’s narrative is a powerful examination of class, gender, and societal pressures. 

Archipelago Books published one of my favourite novellas of the year: The Enlightenment of Katzuo Nakamatsu (£15) by Peruvian writer Augusto Higa Oshiro. The book, translated by Jennifer Shyhue, recounts the story of an elderly university professor from Lima who wanders through the streets of the Peruvian capital after being forced out of his lifelong job.

The protagonist’s descent into madness and desperation will end up confronting him with some of his demons. Among them is a hidden homoerotic desire and a quest for pure beauty, and he achieves kensho, satori: “a vision of nature's essence.” This novel is an arresting tour de force by one of Peru’s most distinctive voices. 

Poetry

Among the collections of Latin American poets published in Britain this year, one of the most impressive was Mariano Peyrou’s Possibilities in Shade (Shearsman Books, £10.95). The collection, translated by Terence Dooley, is a long and thought-provoking meditation on love, desire, language and memory.

It effortlessly moves between sleep and wakefulness, as if the poet had written this arresting ode-poem in an insomniac state of mind. Peyrou’s lyrical voice transforms everyday life into a poetic experience that moves the reader unexpectedly.

Another remarkable collection was Stridentist Poems (World Poetry Books, £17) by Mexican Manuel Maples Arce. This bilingual edition sheds light on one of the most progressive literary voices in 20^th century Latin America.

Argentinian poet Mirta Rosenberg’s Interior Landscape/El Paisaje Interior (Ugly Duckling Presse, £17) is another poetry highlight of the year. Translated by Yaki Setton and Sergio Waisman, this mini-anthology of Rosenberg’s work is packed with beautiful poems that explore the place and voice of the poet in the world. 

The publication of Vicente Huidobro’s Seeing and Touching (Shearsman, £14.95) uncovers a visionary poet from Chile who lived from 1893 to 1948. This book, by one of the greatest Latin American poets and the founder of the literary movement called Creacionismo, is filled with poems that play with music, repetition, alliteration, surreal imagery and the beauty of the natural world, from the sky and stars to storms, the sea, eggs, stones and birds, beautifully rendered by Tony Frazer from the Spanish.

Children’s Books

Among the children’s books from Latin America, the two that stood out this year were Letters in Charcoal (Lantana, £12.99) and Balam & Lluvia’s House (Emma Press, £8.99), both translated by Lawrence Schimel. The first, written by award-winning Colombian author Irene Vasco and with illustrations by Mexican artist Juan Palomino, tells the story of a young girl from a Colombian village called Palenque, where almost nobody “knew how to read much less write.”

The story’s simplicity and the use of bold colours and beautiful patterns by illustrator Palomino make this children’s book a little gem with a social conscience. 

Julio Serrano Echeverria, a Guatemalan poet of Mayan and African descent, is the author of Balam & Lluvia’s House. With illustrations by Spanish artist Yoland Mosquera, the book evokes the colours and smells of a Latin American childhood. Each lyrical story delves into the siblings’ games and daily activities and describes a section of their family home, a place of wonder, discoveries and pure magic.