My Compilation of Books by Latin American Authors
This is your inspiration to read something from the Latin American continent
I am fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, and have read quite a lot of Latin American literature of different genres and authors over the past years. These 5 books will definitely be worth your time:
1. “Captains of the Sands” by Jorge Amado 🇧🇷
This is an absolute classic of the Brazilian literature and I would say one of the best books to get the first introduction into the Brazilian and Latin American literature.
The novel takes place in the city of Salvador in the 1930s. “Captains of the Sands” is a group of orphans and kids from troubled backgrounds living on the streets (or rather in the docks) of Salvador. They live of robbery and assaults and keep the town in fear.
The story gets very rough at times (trigger warning for violence and sexual assault). At the same time, Amado shows these troubled teenagers as kids who lack parental support and love. They have their dreams and aspirations, they (or at least most of them) don’t want to rob or be violent, and their violence for the rich comes from the frustration of not having a house and a family.
Apparently Jorge Amado spent some time with such youth groups, and this is how he managed to create such an accurate depiction of the Captains of the Sands. Amado’s writing is absolutely beautiful and can definitely be enjoyed in translation.
The book is also a great depiction of very unique Salvador and Bahia region of Brazil, the place with historically highest African population where the Portuguese / Catholic tradition mixed with the traditional African beliefs and religions. A good recommendation to learn more about Salvador is Netflix series “Street Food: Latin America” and the episode on Salvador.
The book is available in English on Amazon
2. “The House of the Spirits” by Isabel Allende 🇨🇱
This book by the iconic Isabel Allende is one of the most captivating, rich, absorbing books I’ve read in my life. It is a family saga following the story of a family in an unnamed Latin American country throughout the 20th century.
Family sagas can be complex to read (as you’re dealing with grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren within the same family — so it’s a lot of information and characters to absorb). But what makes “The House of the Spirits” so unique is how very well every single character is developed: you remember the characters from the first mention, and you don’t feel lost in the storyline.
“We will not let marxism establish in the Latin America. Don’t you see how it doesn’t take into account the magic side of things? Communism is an atheist, practical, and functional doctrine. This would never work here”.
Absolutely captivating, great read, with a touch of magic realism (of course!) and a fascinating recollection of historical events of the 20th century being on the background. The last chapters of the book are crazy, I will just leave it at that.
This book is available in English on Amazon
3. “Mouthful of Birds and Other Stories” by Samanta Schweblin 🇦🇷
Schweblin is maybe the most known contemporary Argentinian writer, and her collection of short stories is really weird but mesmerizing.
Schweblin definitely follows the tradition of Latin American magic realism, but gives it a darker twist. She mostly takes very real scenarios (e.g. divorced parents are concerned about their teenage daughter acting out) but twists them in very unexpected ways (they are concerned because she only eats live birds and refuses any other type of food).
Schweblin’s stories are definitely absurd, weird and often horror-driven — but at the same they always have “reallness” about them and you always empathize with their characters.
This book is available in English on Amazon
4. “The Murmur of Bees” by Sofía Segovia 🇲🇽
This beautiful story follows a land owning family in Mexico in the beginning of the 20th century, and specifically a boy named Simonopio who was found on the family’s property and was adopted.
The boy has extraordinary sensory gifts and has a special connection to the bees. His face is disfigured and he can’t talk, but he is protecting his family with his ability to have visions.
“Murmur of the bees” follows the historic events in Mexico: the Spanish flu taking out the entire areas (I read this book during covid lockdown and it was interesting to compare these realities), Mexican revolution of 1918, agrarian reform. All the characters are wonderfully developed, and it was just a pleasure overall to read this book.
Sofía Segovia writes in the book epilogue that it is based on the real story in the agrarian North of Mexico, and the character of Simonopio was meant to add magic and symbolism to the story.
The book is available in Spanish and English on Amazon
5. “The Autumn of the Patriarch” by Gabriel García Márquez 🇨🇴
García Márquez is probably one of the most famous writers worldwide, and for this compilation I wanted to go with a book which is less known than “One Hundred Years of Solitude” or “Love in the Time of Cholera”.
“The Autumn of the Patriarch” is beautifully written — but is also absolutely disgusting, which is exactly what García Márquez was going for.
This novel is a nasty depiction of an old patriarch: it can be Trujillo, Franco, Stalin or any other of the kind. This dictator is too old, too sick and absolutely incapable of ruling the country. Márquez shows him practically as a living corpse, with the total despair and numbness of the people who have never lived under any other ruler.
Marquez’ writing style makes you completely absorbed in the story: there are no dots, and you feel like the story goes on and on and on, and never ends — just like the dictator’s rule. “The Autumn of the Patriarch” is often called the most complex and rich work of García Márquez, and I would tend to agree.
It is available in English on Amazon
You made it through the recommendations list, and as a bonus here is a beer to go with your Latin American reading: Brazilian witbier “Praya” enjoyed in beautiful Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro. Thanks for reading!
