Ch’ayemal nich’nabiletik / Los hijos errantes / The Errant Children

Mikel Ruiz received his doctoral degree in social and humanistic sciences from the University of Science and Arts of Chiapas in Mexico. He is the author of La ira de los murciélagos. Sean S. Sell is a doctoral candidate in comparative literature at the University of California, Davis. He is the translator and, with Nicolás Huet Bautista, coeditor of Chiapas Maya Awakening: Contemporary Poems and Short Stories.

• IntroductionSean S. SellForeword to the Original EditionCh'ayemal nich'nabiletik: bijil ts'ibajel mu'yuk yelanilLos hijos errantes: literatura sin adjetivosThe Errant Children: Literature without AdjectivesAlejandro Aldana SellschoppEnglish translation by Sean S. SellCh'ayemal nich'nabiletikLos hijos errantesThe Errant ChildrenAfterword: The Function of Racism in Colonialized SpacesArturo Arias

"This is an important contribution to the Indigenous literary canon precisely because it offers a unique view of how Indigenous subjects internalize dominant culture in devastating ways. In addition to literature courses, it could also be used in courses that have a focus on Indigenous peoples, complementing historical or anthropological accounts that aim to highlight Maya or Indigenous voices. The inclusion of the original Tsotsil Maya and Spanish texts will allow instructors to explore comparisons with the English translation. Sean Sell's introduction and Alejandro Aldana Sellschopp's preface to the original edition are great, offering context for the book and making the case for its importance, and Arturo Arias's essay is also excellent, offering a critical and theoretical approach to the novel." — Emil' Keme, author of Le Maya Q'atzij/Our Maya Word: Poetics of Resistance in Guatemala