Spotlight on Mexican Fiction: "The Apaches of Kiev" by Agustín Cadena in Tupelo Quarterly, and Much More

Delighted to announce that my translation of the short story by Agustín Cadena, "The Apaches of Kiev," appears in the very fine U.S. literary journal, Tupelo Quarterly. It's a story at once dark and deliciously wry. It caught my attention because, well, everything Cadena writes catches my attention-- he is one of my favorite writers in Mexico, or anywhere-- and he happens to be living in Hungary, so the Eastern Europe angle is no surprise. In all, Cadena's is a unique and powerful voice in contemporary fiction, and I hope you'll have a read.


>>CONTINUE READING THIS POST ON THE NEW PLATFORM AT WWW.MADAM-MAYO.COM

THE APACHES OF KIEV

BY AGUSTIN CADENA

(Originally published in Spanish on Agustín Cadena's blog, El vino y la hiel) 

Translated by C.M. Mayo

The story about the body they found in the Botanic Garden came out in the newspapers and on television. The Kiev police identified it immediately: Dmitri Belov, reporter and political analyst known for his scathing criticism of President Poroshenko’s administration. Presumably it was a suicide, but until they could confirm this verdict, the police had been ordered to put all resources to work.

Among the underemployed— peddlers and prostitutes— who roamed the Botanical Garden, very few were aware of this. So how was anyone else to find out? They didn’t have televisions and they didn’t spend their money on newspapers. Understandably, those who knew about the body avoided that area. They knew there would have been a commotion, and especially if the body belonged to someone important. The police would go around searching for possible witnesses to interrogate, and by the way, shake them down on other charges. It wouldn’t do any good to explain to the police what they already knew: that every week all of these underemployed people paid a bribe to be left in peace. 

Ignorant of everything, three men of approximately 40 years of age, exotic-looking, dressed like Apaches in a Western movie, appeared after 11 in the morning. They were Ernesto Ortega, Gonzalo Acevedo and Milton Guzmán: Mexican, Salvadorean and Venezuelan, respectively. The three of them dressed identically: a headdress of white feathers that went from their heads down to their waists, jacket and trousers of coffee-colored leather with fringe on the sleeves and the back, moccasins, and ritual battle makeup. They carried assorted musical instruments and they took turns playing Andean music: “El cóndor pasa,” “Pájaro Chogüi,” “Moliendo café,” etc. They knew the music did not go with the costumes nor the costumes with their ethnicities, but this strange combination was what worked for them commercially. Americaphilia was at its height in Kiev, and passersby were happy to give money to these “North American Indians” who played the music “of their people.” Perhaps the happy notes of “La flor de la canela” led the Ukrainians to imagine the beauty of life in teepees, among the buffalo, wild horses, mountain lions, and bald-headed eagles. The fact is, in addition to playing and signing, the “Apaches” also sold their CDs of this same music, displayed on a cloth spread on the ground. [... CONTINUE READING] 

P.S. My amiga the poet and writer Patricia Dubrava also translates Cadena. Check out some of her excellent translations at Mexico City Lit.


# # #

This past Saturday I had the good fortune to be able to attend Cadena's book presentation in one of my favorite Mexico City bookstores, the FCE Rosario Castellanos in Condesa. (Here is where I interviewed Michael Schuessler about his biography of Pita Amor, among other works.) Cadena was presenting a novel for young readers, La casa de los tres perros (The House of the Three Dogs) and along for the ride came a group of Mexican writers who have stories in his latest anthology, Callejeros, cuentos urbanos de mundos soñados (My rough translation of that might be, Street People: Stories of Urban Dreamworlds). Happily for me, this also meant a chance to visit with my friend the Mexican novelist and historian Silvia Cuesy. Here we are with Agustín Cadena:

C.M. Mayo, Agustín Cadena, Silvia Cuesy
at the Rosario Castellanos FCE Bookstore, Mexico City

Agustín Cadena's anthology of short fiction, Callejeros
and novel for young readers, La Casa de los tres perros

Mexican writers in Agustín Cadena's anthology, Callejeros
Front row:
León Cuevas, Sandra Luna, Agustín Cadena
Back row:
 Eduardo islas, Cristina Manterola, ?, ?,
José Antonio Bautista, Silvia Cuesy

Table of contents, Callejeros

Back cover, Callejeros

Cadena, right in white hat, presenting his novel for young readers.
La casa de los tres perros,
in the FCE Rosario Castellanos bookstore in Mexico City
August 5, 2017

Watch the video for Kickstarter with Mayte Romo of Editorial Elementum, publisher of Callejeros:

Click here to watch the video

Putting on my armchair-sociologist sombrero now: Aside from its high quality (both its literary content and as an object), what is especially interesting about Callejeros is that the editor lives abroad and the publisher is based in a provincial town-- Pachuca, in the state of Hidalgo. Mexican literary culture and publishing has long been overwhelmingly concentrated in Mexico City, but with the digital revolution it seems this is opening up quickly. I talked a bit about this in my talk for a 2015 American Literary Translators Association panel I chaired:

Translating Contemporary Latin American Poets and Writers:

Embracing, Resisting, Escaping the Magnetic Pull of the Capital

P.S. I mention both this wondrous Mexico City FCE bookstore and Cadena in my longform essay now available on Kindle, "Dispatch from the Sister Republic or, Papelito Habla," an overview of the Mexican literary landscape and the power of the book.

And for those who follow this blog, yes, I remain at work on the book about Far West Texas. Stay tuned for the next podcasts. My latest writing on the subject includes a review of Patrick Dearen's Bitter Waters: The Struggles of the Pecos River.

> Your comments are always welcome. Write to me here.

Reading Mexico: Recommendations for a Book Club 

of Extra-Curious and Adventurous English-language Readers

Translating Across the Border:

Transcript of My Talk for the American Literary Translators Association

Panel, "Translating the Other Side"

On Writing About Mexico: Secrets and Surprises

Mexican Fiction in Translation: Agustín Cadena and Rose Mary Salum in ArLiJo

I am very honored and delighted to announce that the new issue #91 of Robert Giron's ArLiJo features two of my translations of Mexican short fiction: Agustín Cadena's "The Coco" and Rose Mary Salum's "Someone is Calling Me." 

>> Read ArLiJo #91 here << 

More about Agustín Cadena:

> His blog, El vino y la hiel

> "Lady of the Seas" by Agustín Cadena in my anthology Mexico: A Traveler's Literary Companion

> A Note about Cadena's poem "Blind Woman" in BorderSenses

> A Note about Cadena's short story "The Vampire" in MexicoCityLit

> Café San Martín: Reading Mexican Poet Agustín Cadena at the Café Passé in Tucson, Arizona

More about Rose Mary Salum:

> Rose Mary Salum's blog, Entre los espacios

> Rose Mary Salum, Founding editor of Literal

> A Conversation with Rose Mary Salum (super crunchy)

> A Note on the second issue of Origins, edited by Dini Karasik, featuring Mexican writer Rose Mary Salum

A tip of the sombrero to you, my fellow El Pasoan, dear Robert Giron!
Thank you for your long-time support for literary translation!

[[ ¡Viva ArLiJo issue #91! ]]

A Note on Literary Projects & Literary Translation by Yours Truly
Alas, given that there are not 50 hours in the day and 700 days in the year I am not anywhere near ever becoming a full-time literary translator. My main literary projects at the moment are my own book on Far West Texas, and the related podcast series, "Marfa Mondays," but, as I have for many years now, I make it a regular practice to translate Mexican contemporary short fiction and poetry. (My most recent book is about and includes a book I translated-- an exception to my usual translation work on many levels, including the fact that the author was murdered in 1913. That book is Metaphysical Odyssey into the Mexican Revolution: Francisco I. Madero and His Secret Book, Spiritist Manual.)

As a resident of Mexico City, and a writer and poet myself, I treasure the opportunity to translate my Mexican contemporaries and bring them to English language readers. And I have plenty to say about all that: See "Translating Across the Border," my talk for the 2015 American Literary Translators Association Conference panel on "Translating the Other Side."

At present, I am working on The Water that Rocks the Silence, a collection of linked short stories,  El agua que mece el silencio,  by Rose Mary Salum (three more to go for a complete first draft); a short story by Araceli Ardón (advanced draft); a second short story by Ignacio Solares (rough draft); and poem by Alberto Blanco (draft). Fingers crossed, later this year, I may have some news about a collection of stories by Agustín Cadena. 

Would that the day had more hours!

> For more about my published translations, click here.

> My amiga the poet and writer Pat Dubrava and I both translate Mónica Lavín and Agustín Cadena. Read her post about her visit to Mexico City in her blog, Holding the Light.

> Your comments are always welcome. Write to me here.
> My newsletter goes out to subscribers soon. I welcome you to join the list here.

Why Translate? The Case of the President of Mexico's Secret Book

Looking at Mexico in New Ways: An Interview with John Tutino

For Mexicophiles

NPR Interview with C.M. Mayo on the Art of Literary Translation

On Writing About Mexico: Secrets and Surprises

Five Quick Questions for Agustín Cadena, author of Las tentaciones de la dicha

This Wednesday's guest-blog post is in a somewhat different format-- instead of the usual 5 links, there are 5 questions for Mexican writer Agustín Cadena, apropos of his splendid new collection of short stories, Las tentaciones de la dicha. As I noted in a previous post, I've long been an admirer of Cadena's writing, and have translated some of his stories, most recently for a collection edited by Eduardo Jimenez Mayo to be published by Small Beer Press. This collection-- Las tentaciones de la dicha-- has been published by Editorial Jus in Mexico City. And check out the trailer-- it's one of the best book trailers I've seen.

Q #1: You have been living for some time in Hungary. Has Eastern European literature influenced your writing? In particular, the vampire stories?

A: I am not fully aware of the influences that are affecting my writing. It's true that I have been living in Hungary for almost eight years, but I think my inspiration sources come mainly from English and Russian literature. In relation to vampire stories, it's interesting to note that they are not really common in Eastern European literature, as many people would assume. They come rather from British and American (and nowdays even Swedish) authors.

Q #2: Has living in Hungary changed the way you see Mexico and Mexican literature?

A: I think it has. I have become more tolerant.

Q #3: How would you describe the Hungarian literary scene? (And how does it compare to Mexico?)

A: Hungary has a strong literary tradition, but this has bloomed in times of political crisis. Hungarians seem to need some degree of stress to let out the best of themselves. And I am not sure this is a good time in this sense. Most people are just happy celebrating their membership to the European Union, and trying to get all possible advantages from it. Something similar happens in Mexico, I think, though with a different background. There is a crisis in México, of course, but the literary elites do not seem to realize it. They are just too busy getting fat on grants and privileges, traveling, forging alliances, and bullying the weak. The necessary stress is missing.

Q #4: Blogging is such a new form and a radical change for those of us born in the 1960's. But with "El vino y la hiel" you've been blogging for a few years now and you have a multitude of followers. What would you advise younger writers about blogging?

A: Keep writing, keep posting, at least once a month. And try to define your profile from the beginning. Choose a few topics and keep writing about that.

Q #5: Of all the stories in this new collection, in your opinion which would best lend itself to a "vook"--- a video enhanced e-book?

A: Maybe the last one: “The Castle”.

P.S. More Cadena links:

Interview for Tameme (in English and in Spanish)

"Lady of the Seas" a short story by Agustin Cadena translated by C.M. Mayo

Las tentaciones de la dicha (Editorial Jus)

Best of Contemporary Mexican Fiction

Best of Contemporary Mexican Fiction, the new anthology edited By Alvaro Uribe and Olivia Sears--- (which includes my translation of a short story by Alvaro Enrique, "On the Death of the Author")--- is gathering a slew of great reviews. A new batch:

Book List

"Short-story fans hungry for something that doesn't taste like it was cooked up in an MFA program workshop should take note of this anthology of contemporary Mexican writers. There's great variety here, but what all 16 stories have in common are distinctive voices. For the most part eschewing realism, these stories are exuberant, playful, informal, and experimental, and may make some readers nostalgic for the years before U.S. fiction got so institutionalized. Standouts include Álvaro Enrigue's "On the Death of the Author," a metafictional account of the author's attempts to tell the story of Ishi, the last Yahi Indian; Jorge F. Hernández's "True Friendship," about a man's perfect but probably fictional best friend; and Juan Villoro's hilarious "Mariachi," the tale of analysand El Gallito de Jojutla, "the only mariachi star who has never sat on a horse." Stories are printed in both Spanish and English on facing pages; bilingual readers will be able to judge the translations for themselves, and readers who only know English will at least be able to see the shape of the originals."

Omnivoracious on amazon.com

"Even as Mexican culture has become more a part of our everyday lives here in the U.S., most of us probably have not read these influential editors, translators, columnists, and professors, even though they are the most prominent and award-winning authors of the Mexican literary scene. Why? Because many of these writers, and most of these stories, have never appeared in English before."

Shelfari: Translated!

"This extraordinary anthology of short stories, all written by Mexican authors born since 1945... represents an important cultural exchange, at least for U.S. readers. Even as Mexican culture has become more a part of our everyday lives here in the U.S., most of us probably have not read these influential editors, translators, columnists, and professors, even though they are the most prominent and award-winning authors of the Mexican literary scene. Why? Because many of these writers, and most of these stories, have never appeared in English before."

The Latin American Review of Books

"One unique aspect of this work is its transparency with regard to the translation. While many readers will opt to choose to experience the anthology either in Spanish or English, according to their own personal preferences or abilities, it is important to note that, in several cases the translations do not always run parallel to each other, a clear example that this should not necessarily be viewed as a pedagogical text that one uses to learn Spanish with the help of English (or vice-versa), but rather as a collection of narratives intended to offer “a glimpse of the rich tapestry of Mexican fiction” to an ample public. To this end, each story has its own well-established translator whose biographical details, like the original authors themselves, are also included at the end of this volume. This is a worthy recognition of the contribution they make in enabling this book to reach both the Spanish- and English-speaking world."

The Quarterly Conversation

"...Alvaro Enrigue...is such a talented writer that he manages to describe, from within his own story, exactly what makes his story superlative, and he pulls this off without making the inclusion seem the least bit strained:

There is a story, and a very good one at that, told by Bernardo Atxaga. He says that one day, as he walked through a town in his native Basque country, all of a sudden he came upon a man by a door with a hole in it. He chatted with the old man for a spell and then the man asked, Did he know why there was a hole in the door? Atxaga answered, It would be for the cat. No, said the man. They made it years ago, in order to feed a boy who, having been bitten by a dog, had turned into a dog.

The stories I like, the ones that make me wildly jealous and yearn to be able to write that well, have the bedazzling logic of that old Basque: they lack a piece, and this lack transforms them into a myth, appealing to the lowest common denominator that makes us all more or less equal.

'On the Death of the Author' lacks a piece; in fact, it lacks about four or five pieces, as there are four or five “mythical” sub-stories found within this work. Impressively, Enrigue manages to join these sub-stories together with thematic and particular links that make the entire piece come together as a deeply mysterious yet quite comprehensible whole."

OF Blog of the Fallen: "Short Fiction Sunday"

"an excellent, rich, diverse collection of stories that hopefully will inspire readers to dig deeper into Mexico's very rich literary tradition."

More anon.

Book Women Visit Mexico City / Two Books on Mexican History

Recently I had the honor and pleasure of being the guest-speaker for the Book Women's Readers on the Road group that came down to Mexico City. I talked about the true story behind my forthcoming novel, The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire, about Tameme, and the anthology Mexico: A Traveler's Literary Companion. Over the guacamole and "chanclas" vegetarianas, questions abounded, mostly about Mexican women writers, literary translation, and Mexican history, and one of the most pressing questions for these avid readers was, where to begin reading about Mexican history? My two top recommendations:
---> Mexico: Biography of Power (A History of Modern Mexico, 1810-1996) by Enrique Krauze
---> La Capital: The Biography of Mexico City by Jonathan Kandell.
(Alas, both by men. But I won't hold that against them!) More anon.

Alvaro Enrigue

It's been a while since I've done any translating--- after translating a large part of and editing Mexico: A Traveler's Literary Companion and the first Tameme chapbook, a short story by Agustin Cadena, I had to put translating aside for a while in order to finish my novel. But I recently finished a translation of a devastatingly good short story by Alvaro Enrigue, one of Mexico's most talented young writers--- about, of all things, the last years of the life of Ishi. Most California school children know the haunting story of Ishi--- one of the saddest of the continent. (If you don't know it, check out this teacher's guide from the Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology.) What Alvaro Enrigue made of it in his fiction is surprising indeed. The story--- "On the Death of the Author"--- is not for Tameme, alas; it is to be included in an anthology of Mexican fiction selected by Alvaro Uribe forthcoming--- I'm not sure, but I understand it's very soon. More anon.