Navidad & Matanza Read online

  Alicia knew she had to go back. She stood up. Incredibly, at that moment, the journalist put his hand on her ankle and whispered her name: Alicia. She turned around, surprised, managing only to respond: I’m sorry, I just wanted to tell you that I wish I’d been your daughter.

  Carlos Labbé, one of Granta’s “Best Young Spanish-Language Novelists,” was born in Chile and is the author of six novels—including Navidad & Matanza and Locuela—and a collection of short stories. In addition to his writings, he is a musician and has released three albums. He is a co-editor at Sangria, a publishing house based in Santiago and Brooklyn, where he translates and runs workshops. He also writes literary essays, the most notable ones on Juan Carlos Onetti, Diamela Eltit, and Roberto Bolaño—three writers whose influence can be seen in Navidad & Matanza.

  Will Vanderhyden is a translator of Spanish and Latin American fiction. He recently graduated from the MALTS (Masters of Arts in Literary Translation) program at the University of Rochester. In addition to Carlos Labbé, he has translated fiction by Edgardo Cozarinsky, Alfredo Bryce Echenique, Juan Marsé, Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio, and Elvio Gandolfo.

  Open Letter—the University of Rochester’s nonprofit, literary translation press—is one of only a handful of publishing houses dedicated to increasing access to world literature for English readers. Publishing ten titles in translation each year, Open Letter searches for works that are extraordinary and influential, works that we hope will become the classics of tomorrow.

  Making world literature available in English is crucial to opening our cultural borders, and its availability plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy and vibrant book culture. Open Letter strives to cultivate an audience for these works by helping readers discover imaginative, stunning works of fiction and poetry, and by creating a constellation of international writing that is engaging, stimulating, and enduring.

  Current and forthcoming titles from Open Letter include works from Argentina, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Poland, South Africa, and many other countries.

  www.openletterbooks.org