From Mexico City, where he seems to be scribbling at 299 kilometers a minute, Juan Villoro writes that he's published a new book, Safari accidental. It's a collection of his essays, including profiles of Mick Jagger, Yoko Ono, the Zapatistas, Salman Rushdie, Bono, Martin Amis, and places including Berlín, Tijuana, Havanna, and Disney World. At this very moment he is launching two more books: Funerales preventivos (political fables with cartoons by Rogelio Naranjo) and Dios es redondo, about his passion for soccer. Plus, every Friday he has a column in the editorial pages of Mexico City's main newspaper, Reforma. By the way, it's my translation of his hilarious punk-rocker story that appears in Mexico: A Traveler's Literary Companion. "One-Way Street" is the title, after the punk rock band, but originally the story appeared as "1975" (same title as the Spanish) in Tameme. The first issue of Tameme also features his work-- "Stop the Labyrinth!" (translated by Amy Schildhouse Greenberg), an excerpt from Palmeras de la brisa rapida, his lyrical memoir of Yucatan. You can read a bit more about him, and his essay "Escape from Disney World" (translated by T.G. Huntington) on Words without Borders. Madam Mayo's verdict: Juan Villoro is not only one of Mexico's most prolific writers, but one of its most perceptive, lyrical, and humorous. Translators, please take note.
Back to blogging on April 27th.
