Slum Virgin

Gabriela Cabezón Cámara was born in Buenos Aires in 1968. Her debut novel Slum Virgin (Charco, 2017) was followed by Romance de la negra rubia (Romance of the Blonde Brunette ) as well as by two collections of short stories. In 2011 she published the novella Le viste la cara a Dios (You’ve Seen God’s Face ), later turned into a graphic novel, Beya (Biutiful ), illustrated by Iñaki Echeverría. In 2013, she was Writer-in-Residence at the University of California, Berkeley. The Adventures of China Iron , published by Charco Press in 2020, was shortlisted for the International Booker and the Médicis prizes. In addition to being an environmental activist, Cabezón Cámara is one of the leading feminist and LGBTQ+ intellectuals in Latin America. Her most recent novel is We Are Green and Trembling .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.

Silverio Cañada Memorial Prize (Shortlist)"Queer writing at its most exhilarating." —The Times Literary Supplement"Cámara’s breakout tale is mind-blowingly good." —Publishers Weekly, starred review"A revelation for contemporary literature."" —Andrés Neuman , author of TRAVELLER OF THE CENTURY and TALKING TO OURSELVESGlobetrotting: Your sneak preview of books in translation —New York Times"Cámara has a powerful voice, one to be taken seriously." —Library Journal"Cabezón Cámara’s exuberant range of styles truly shines." —Asymptote"Book of the Year 2009." —Rolling Stone (Argentina)**********Praise for Gabriela Cabezón CámaraInternational Booker Prize (Shortlist)"A thrilling and mystical miniature epic." —The Guardian"[The Adventures of China Iron] reminds us, in Cabezón Cámara’s entrancing poetry, how magical and frankly unpleasant it is to live through history." —New York Times"[The Adventures of China Iron] compels readers to examine critically not only the biases of the myths we celebrate, but also how they seep into our contemporary understandings of nationhood." —LA Review of Books"Brilliantly translated by Fiona Mackintosh and Iona Macintyre, this is a heartfelt, dreamlike paean to Argentina’s past and what might have been had the pampas been left alone." —The Times Literary Supplement"Cabezón Cámara’s exciting LGBTQ look at pioneers of the pampas makes for a rewarding and subversive treat." —Publishers Weekly"Shaking loose new possibilities for how we might reshape the present precisely by unsettling something seemingly so settled as the past." —Music & Literature"Daring." —The Financial Times"A daring, playful story." —New Statesman"A wonderful reading experience, filled with light, joy, discovery, friendship, and love." —The Massachusetts Review"An unexpected ride that delivers on all accounts." —DIVA Magazine"By disrupting pedagogical nationalist representations, Cámara’s story enables all those places in the margins to re-signify constructs of the Argentine people." —WasafiriBest books published in Latin America 2017. —New York Times (Español)"A transformative adventure, wholly romantic and sublime, at times even supernatural in its message of discovery." —Books and Bao"A thrilling book that has a little of everything that I look for in a novel." —SubText"10 Best Translated Books 2019" —Books and BaoGlobetrotting: Your sneak preview of books in translation —New York Times"It’s moving and intelligent and funny and all of it is fun (so much fun)." —Mark Haber, Brazos Bookstore"Best books dealing with feminism, sisterhood and queerness" —Pagina/12"With a touch of whimsy, ‘The Adventures of China Iron’ rewrites a historical narrative and renders spaces inclusive." —Daily Star"Best Books of 2017" —Los inRockuptibles"20 Best Latin American books 2017" —El País