Latin American Writers in Demand

According to Bernat Fiol, a representative of SalmaiaLit, American and European publishers have been showing a lot of interest in Latin American authors lately. “I think special attention is being paid to young writers of a marked literary character who offer their vision of reality but also contribute new perspectives on Latin America’s literary tradition”, he claims.

As evidence of this interest, SalmaiaLit has revealed that it has sold the rights to a number of Latin American writers’ works, notably F.G. Haghenbeck’s novel The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo, which was translated into 15 languages and sold well in a number of countries. Another translation that’s in the works is of “El desierto y su semilla”, a modern classic.

Laurence Laluyaux, an agent at Rogers Coleridge and White in London, has also seen a “distinct interest” in Latin American writers lately, especially in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, markets that were usually seen as far too difficult for such books. She says that this new development can be explained by the “international fatigue when it comes to English-language literature”. It seems that readers across the world are willing to break out of their comfort zone and explore new and original novels. According to Laluyaux, there’s now a “definite strong interest in form as well as content” of Latin American books.

Source: “Is Latin America The Next Literary Hot Spot?”, Adam Critchley, Publishing Perspective, Spring 2017, p.8