Content area
Full Text
"Dear Juan", writes Alejandro Zambra. "Everything sounds ok. I can answer in my poor English. I certainly prefer to write, to express myself, in Spanish, but I promise I will make my best effort. Maybe you can translate the rest? I am leaving now for Chile and we can talk in five days."
For the last several decades, Chile has yielded some of the finest and most bizarre literature in the world. From the harrowing stories of Isabel Allende and Roberto Bolaño, to the authoritative poetry of Pablo Neruda, the nation has made its indelible mark. Alejandro Zambra, selected as one of Granta's Best Young Spanish-Language Novelists, is not only adding to its diverse heritage, he's spearheading a generation.
With three novels published and translated in English to date, Zambra has become a source of pride for Chile and its place in the world of letters. He's been praised by the likes of Junot Diaz and Daniel Alarcón. His most popular novel, Bonsai , was the winner of the 2006 Chilean Critics' Award and also shortlisted for the 2009 Best Translated Book Award. Oh, and in 2011, acclaimed writer/director Cristián Jiménez made it into a film of the same name. These feats, among others, have cemented him as an artist whose talents continue to push the limits of effective storytelling.
You started out writing poetry, correct?
Yes, I did. Poetry came naturally to me at a young age. And I read it a lot. Fortunately, I was exposed to many of the excellent Chilean poets growing up; in particular, Jorge Teillier, Enrique Lihn, and Gonzalo Millán. And of course Nicanor Parra, the antipoet. They were all very different from one another, which I liked. I was also drawn to the work of Ezra Pound and Robert Creeley.
When did you start focusing more on fiction? One thing about your books is they often read like prose poems. Do you make a conscious effort to give them a poetic slant?
The kind of poetry I used to write was not far from prose. And...