Elena Knows

Born in Buenos Aires in 1960, Claudia Piñeiro is a best-selling author, known internationally for her novels that, while rooted in the crime genre, frequently address social issues. She has won numerous national and international prizes, including the Pepe Carvalho Prize, the LiBeraturpreis for Elena Knows and the prestigious Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Prize for Las grietas de Jara (A Crack in the Wall). Many of her novels have been adapted for the screen, including Elena Knows, Thursday Night Widows, and Time of the Flies . Piñeiro is the third most translated Argentinian author after Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar. She’s also a playwright and scriptwriter (including for popular Netflix series The Kingdom ). Her novel Elena Knows was shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize.Frances Riddle has translated numerous Spanish-language authors including Isabel Allende, Claudia Piñeiro, Leila Guerriero, and Sara Gallardo. Her translation of Theatre of War by Andrea Jeftanovic was granted an English PEN Award in 2020. Her work has appeared in journals such as Granta, Electric Literature , and The White Review , among others. She holds a BA in Spanish Language Literature from Louisiana State University and an MA in Translation Studies from the University of Buenos Aires. In 2022, Frances’ translation of Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize. Originally from Houston, Texas she lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

International Booker Prize (Shortlist)Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award - Fiction (Shortlist)Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Translation Prize (Shortlist)LiBeraturpreis (Winner)The Barbellion Prize (Longlist)"Short and stylish…a piercing commentary on mother-daughter relationships, the indignity of bureaucracy, the burdens of caregiving and the impositions of religious dogma on women." —New York Times"A lyrical portrait of a woman unable to grieve...incisive commentary on Catholic society’s control of women’s bodies." —Publishers Weekly"A murder mystery with a twist." —The Globe and Mail"Its true brilliance, though, is in how it flips Elena’s insular daily reality into a much broader commentary on how the hypocrisy of Catholic society manifests in the lives and judgments of ordinary people. A highly accomplished and original novel, translated with great sensitivity to tone and atmosphere by Frances Riddle." —Irish Times"A gloriously taut and haunting tale…astonishingly assured." —Denise Mina , author of GODS AND BEASTS and THE LONG DROP"A fascinating, twisty tale." —The Listener"Contending with sorrow and illness, as well as the burdens of caregiving, bodily horrors, and forced presumptions in the lives of women, Elena Knows is a bold, visceral work of fiction." —Jeremy Garber, Powell's Bookshop"[Piñeiro's] words work a kind of magic only very masterful literature does." —Lucy Writers"In Elena, Piñeiro has created an uncommon Virgil who reminds readers of the damaging and even deadly effects of imposing one’s convictions on others." —Necessary Fiction"A subtle and skilful exploration of how far women have the right to control their own bodies." —The Conversation"Riveting, revelatory and brilliantly imaginative." —Lonesome Reader"Subverting genre expectations." —The Arts Fuse************Praise for Claudia Piñeiro"Not for nothing is Claudia Piñeiro Argentina's most popular crime writer. Betty Boo is original, witty and hugely entertaining; it mixes murder with love, political power and journalism. Delightful characters include a morose veteran hack and a young trainee known only as Crime Boy. Iscar falls in love and the homicide count has moved up the ladder of Argentine politicians." —The Times"At the start of this thought-provoking mystery from Piñeiro (A Crack in the Wall), maid Gladys Verela arrives at the Maravillosa Country Club, where industrialist Pedro Chazaretta has a house on the grounds. In the living room, Gladys spots Chazaretta sitting in a chair, apparently asleep, but in fact his throat has been slit. In Piñeiro's artful hands, each of her investigators learns as much about himself or herself as about the murder on the way to the surprising, perfectly executed ending." —Publisher's Weekly"Those willing to take the time to enjoy the style and the unusual denouement will find themselves wondering why more crime authors don't take the kinds of risks Piñeiro does." —Booklist"Piñeiro is AWESOME. Her books are dark, have buckets of atmosphere, and they all feel entirely different even though she revisits some of the same issues again and again. She deals with the culture and social structure within gated communities; shows how walling ourselves in seems safer, but actually promotes fear and claustrophobia; she deals with gender roles and prejudice and economic class and long-held secrets that fester." —Book Riot