New Narratives from Spain
Wednesday, November 9, 2022 4:30 PM EST
Horizon Hall, 5012
Readings and conversation in English led by Spanish Poet & Professor Rei Berroa
With the support of SPAIN arts & culture, the 2022 Department of Modern & Classical Languages Fall Conversation features three outstanding award-winning narrators from Spain: Matías Candeira, author of Fiebre / Fever (2015) and five other books of short stories. Álex Chico, author of Los nombres impares / The Odd Names (2021), three other novels, and several books of poetry. Juan Gómez Bárcena, author of the novel El cielo de Lima / The Sky over Lima (2014), translated into many languages, and five other novels and short stories.
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MATÍAS CANDEIRA (Madrid, 1984) teaches creative writing and is a screenwriter and storyteller who has published a novel: Fiebre [Fever] (2015) and five collections of short stories, among them: Antes de las jirafas [Before Giraffes] (2011), Ya no estaremos aquí [We Won ́t Be Here Anymore] (2017) and Moebius (2019), which was awarded the Kutxa Literary Prize (2018). He has received fellowships and grants from foundations such as the Antonio Gala, the Han Nefkens, and the BBVA. He has also participated in writer-in-residence programs at Cité Internationale des Arts (Paris) and the Art Omi (New York).
ÁLEX CHICO (Plasencia, 1980) is a poet, storyteller, and literary critic.
He has published the novels Los nombres impares [The Odd Names]
(2021), Los cuerpos partidos [The Broken Bodies] (2019), Un final para Benjamin Walter [An end for Benjamin Walter] (2017 [finalist of the Prix européen de l'essai philosophique Walter Benjamin 2018]), and Un hombre espera [A Man Is waiting] (2015). His books of poetry, include: Room in W (2014), Un lugar para nadie [A Place for Nobody] (2013), Dimensión de la frontera [Border’s Dimension] (2011) and La tristeza del eco [Sad Sounds the Echo] (2008).
JUAN GÓMEZ BÁRCENA (Santander, 1984) is a storyteller whose first book of short stories, Los que duermen [Those Who Sleep] (2012), won the Premio Tormenta for Best New Author. In 2014, his novel El cielo de Lima (The Sky Over Lima) won the Ojo Crítico and Ciudad de Alcalá awards and was translated into English, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Dutch, and Greek. Kanada (2017) won the Ciudad de Santander award and the Cálamo Otra Mirada prize.
His 2020 novel Ni siquiera los muertos [Not Even the Dead] is awaiting publication in English and German. His latest novel, Lo demás es aire [The Rest is Air], appeared in May 2022.
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Rei Berroa is a poet and professor in Spanish in the Department of Modern & Classical Languages. He is the author of more than 50 books of poetry, anthologies, and critical studies. Since 1992 he coordinates Teatro de la Luna’s Poetry Marathon in Washington, DC. In March 2022, he organized with another poet from the Dominican Republic the first World Poetry Day Festival with poets from all over the world reading poetry for 24 consecutive hours.
Sponsored by the Department of Modern & Classical Languages, SPAIN arts & culture, Embassy of Spain, and The Cheuse Center.
