Latino authors’ stellar year and what's to come
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From left: Authors Xochitl Gonzalez and Angie Cruz. Photos: Mayra Castillo, courtesy of Flatiron Books; Erika Morillo, courtesy of Macmillan
A slate of recent books that tell immigrant stories and interrogate the American dream using innovative literary styles are resonating with readers, selling well and showing up in best-of lists.
The big picture: The publishing boom for diverse authors comes after decades of writers being told by largely white publishers their stories were "unmarketable," novelist Angie Cruz tells Axios Latino.
Details: The books include Cruz's "How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water," a novel that tells the story of Cara Romero, a Dominican immigrant to New York, through her sessions with a job counselor and through the official documents she has to fill out in the process.
- "Olga Dies Dreaming," by Xochitl Gonzalez, tells a fictional story about siblings by playing with genres — it's part political thriller for one sibling, part romantic comedy for another, and also serves as a primer on Puerto Rican history.
- Salvadoran poet Javier Zamora's memoir, "Solito," is written from the perspective of his 9-year-old self, the age he was when he made the perilous journey from El Salvador to the U.S.
What they're saying: "What I love about this particular year in Latino literature is how there's so much variety in countries of origin, writing styles and genres," Gonzalez tells Axios Latino.
- "The more that happens and the more that it then permeates the rest of pop culture ... the more all those many wonderful Latino books can help to paint a picture of the breadth of our experience."
The bottom line: The success of these works also signals that Latino creators can be more experimental without fear of being shunned by mainstream publishing houses, the authors say.
- "I think it's going to open up a lot of opportunities for us, especially Latinx writers, for more innovation in writing, plays or TV," Cruz says. "Having that in the market allows people to start imagining us as integral parts of the conversation in the United States."
What to watch: Cruz and Gonzalez's novels are being translated into Spanish next year. Both authors already have deals for additional books.
- More works by Latino authors are arriving in 2023.
- Among them are Afro-Dominican writer Elizabeth Acevedo's first novel for adults, "Family Lore." Acevedo is a bestseller in the Young Adult genre.
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