three of Cuba’s most prestigious literary
awards for children’s and YA books:
Calendario, La Edad de Oro, and La Rosa
Blanca. Baratute is also the president of
the Guantanamo chapter of the Asociación
Ivette Vian Altarriba is a storyteller, poet,
journalist, and television writer. She has won numerous awards,
including La Edad de Oro, Premio Ismaelillo, and La Rosa
Blanca. Vian is the creator of a popular children’s television
program in Cuba called La sombrilla amarilla ( The Yellow
Umbrella). The show takes place in the home of a fictional
artistic woman named Marcolina, and a book based on the show
was popular at the fair. Marcolina en la cocina (Marcolina in the
Kitchen) has a colorful cover and features almost 60 simple recipes from the show. In addition to the recipes, the book includes
songs, tongue twisters, guessing games, and comments about
some of the ingredients used in the recipes. The illustrations are
by Arístides Hernández, better known as Ares. Ares has illustrated more than 70 books, and his work appears in periodicals
all over the world. In 2002, he received the National Cultural
Medal from the Cuban Cultural Ministry. The book is appropriate for older children and young adults. ■
SPOTLIGHT ON CUBAN WRITERS OF
CHILDREN’S AND YA BOOKS By Leylha Ahuile
In February, PW visited the chil- dren’s pavilions at the 25th Feria Internacional del Libro de La Habana (Havana International Book Fair), where there was no shortage of books for children and
young adults. Lines of children with their
families and groups of teenagers extended
for a couple of blocks, and no one seemed to
walk out of the fair without a few books in hand.
One of the titles by Cuban authors that stood out at the fair
was Zambilé by Nersys Felipe Herrera, beautifully illustrated by
Alejandro Rodríguez Fornés. It’s a children’s book that deals
with the subject of African children who were brought to Cuba
as slaves. Herrera is an educator and poet who has twice been
awarded the Premio Casa de las Américas, one of Cuba’s most
prestigious literary prizes.
Another book that drew lots of interest was the young adult
title Vampiros con tatuajes raros (Vampires with Weird Tattoos).
Written by Eldys Baratute Benavides, Vampiros is composed of
seven amusing stories about being different—about children
who are marginalized or rejected by others. The illustrations by
Dagnay Tomás Martínez are in a fun and whimsical style, in
keeping with the spirit of the text.
Baratute was born in 1983 and has already published more
than a dozen books for children and young adults. He has won
FICTION
La abadía
(The Abbey)
James Martin
HarperCollins Español
ISBN 978-0-7180-7895-9
In the tradition of the spiritual classics
comes a debut novel from the revered
Jesuit priest and bestselling author
of Jesus and The Jesuit Guide to (Almost)
Everything.
La amiga estupenda (Dos amigas 1)
(My Brilliant Friend)
Elena Ferrante
Lumen
ISBN 978-1-941999-72-1
This modern masterpiece from one of
Italy’s most acclaimed authors is a rich,
intense story about two friends.
El año en que te conocí
(The Year I Met You)
Cecelia Ahern
Ediciones B
ISBN
978-8-46665-792-1
Losing her job felt
like losing everything,
but being fired is just
the beginning for Jasmine. In the year that
follows, she learns more
about herself than she
could have imagined.
SELECT MARCH 2016 SPANISH-LANGUAGE TITLES
Compiled by Leylha Ahuile, with descriptions provided by publishers
continued on p. 24
