Eduardo Antonio Parra Mexico

Eduardo Antonio Parra was born in León/Guanajuato, North Mexico, in 1965. Several volumes of stories have proven his extraordinary narrative talent. In 2000 he won the Short Story Award Juan Rulfo which is awarded by Radio France International in Paris. Parra received a grant from the Guggenheim Foundation in 2001, and a further one in the following year by the State of Mexico.

In 2009 his story collection Sombras detrás de la ventana has been awarded the Prix Antonin Artaud, which includes the publication in France. The Jury praised Parra’s book as an exceptional narrative masterpiece, creating a world of its own, emphasizing the author’s capacity to give an acute insight into peculiar human situations.

His stories are highly topical and he can be seen as a chronicler of the profound changes in his region, the North of Mexico. The deceptive proximity to the USA, beyond the Rio Bravo, decides upon the fate of the people who live there. The men leave, perhaps lucky enough to cross the river without being noticed, though often their first attempt fails and leads to death. The women stay behind in the inhospitable countryside, having to bring children into the world all on their own, waiting all their lives for their men to return. The stories in Tierra de nadie (“No Man’s Land”) and Los límites de la noche (“The Borders of the Night”) are exciting, sometimes erotic and mostly dramatic, even tragic. It is especially Parra’s language, simple but nevertheless precise, which touches the reader and gives his texts a timeless note.

In his first novel, Nostalgia de la sombra (“Nostalgia for the Shadow”), Parra delivers a study on the personality of a man, who initially kills in order to survive. This experience leads to the transformation from man to beast. Written from the perspective of the murderer, the novel forces its reader to identify with this role. Nostalgia de la sombra is a complex thriller, which increases the suspense by trapping its reader in a conflicting state of disgust and fascination.

Eduardo Antonio Parra’s stories fill the void between traditional Latin American literature and the best new writing from south of the border. His exploding visions from desert landscapes leads us on journeys where there is no turning back.

Ray Gonzalez, editor at BLOOMSBURY REVIEW

No Man’s Land is a stunning introduction to one of Latin America’s bes tnew writers.

Joel Shalit, writer

Parra is quickly becoming a rising star in Mexican fiction.

CRÍTICAS

In cooperation with ERA, Mexico

Original editions and rights sold:

Stories:

Los límites de la noche, Mexico City: Era 1996, 134 p.

Spain: Txalaparta 2002 ● France: Zulma 2011

Tierra de nadie, Mexico City: Era 1999, 141 p.

Chile: LOM 2002 ● Canada: Boréal 2003 ● Portugal: Oficina do Livro ● USA: City Lights 2004 (selection of short stories from Tierra de nadie and Los límites de la noche) ● Spain: Txalaparta 2001 ● Uruguay: Trilce 2002

Nadie los vio salir, Mexico City: Era 2001, 37 p.

France: L’Atalante ● Spain: Txalaparta 2001 ● Uruguay: Trilce

Sombras detrás de la ventana, Mexico City: Era 2009, 441 p.

(Compilation of former story volumes)

Novel:

Nostalgia de la sombra, Mexico City: Joaquín Mortíz (Planeta) 2002, 300 p.

Italy: La Linea