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by José Pergentino
A literary triumph by one of Mexico's most promising young authors, Red Ants is the first ever literary translation into English from the Sierra Zapotec.
This vibrant collection of short stories by Pergentino José updates magical realism for the 21st century. Red Ants paints a candid picture of indigenous Mexican life -- an essential counterpoint to cultural products of the colonial gaze. José's fantastical stories tackle themes of family, love, and independence in his signature style: unapologetically personal, coolly emotional, and always surprising.
"José is a rising star in Mexican literature, and this collection of short fiction, which examines indigenous life in the U.S.'s southern neighbor through the lens of a contemporary magic realism, should only further his acclaim. Veteran Spanish translator Bunstead... takes José's clean, punchy lines and makes them sing―and stick with you." ―Publishers Weekly
This information about Red Ants was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Pergentino Jose was born in 1981 in a Zapotec village in the Pacific highlands of Oaxaca. He has published poetry and prose in both Zapotec and Spanish and is a member of the Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte, the Mexican government's prestigious fellowship program for artists and writers. Red Ants is his first book in English, and the first literary translation into English from the Sierra Zapotec.
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