Andrés Barba

A bestselling Spanish author

Andrés Barba is one of the best young Spanish writers. We’re not making that claim – well, we are, now – but Granta, the literary magazine with a nose for world-class fiction. La hermana de Katia, Barba’s first novel, was immediately nominated for several prizes and turned into a film. The twelve books that followed have brought him rewards and translations. Barba’s latest novel, República luminosa, earned him the Premio Herralde prize. Translations of the book are in the pipeline.

About República luminosa

Out of nowhere, 32 children appear in San Cristóbal, a small town in the tropics between the jungle and the river. No one knows who these children are and they speak an incomprehensible language. Hungry and violent, they have a disruptive effect on the lives of the inhabitants. When two adults are stabbed in a supermarket, fear spreads rapidly.

Twenty years later, a town official writes a report about the events of the day, about how the residents were forced to reflect on chaos and order, violence and civilization, and how they ultimately managed to survive the terror.

República luminosa is a subtle, tense fable about the age we live in, written in a language that is to be savoured to the fullest.

Andrés Barba (b. 1975) is a writer, essayist, translator and photographer. He has published thirteen books, from novels to essays and children’s books. Barba taught Spanish to foreign learners and now teaches creative writing. In 2010 Granta included him on its selection of 20 best young Spanish authors.

Passa Porta, De Bezige Bij, Instituto Cervantes de Bruselas, deBuren, Beursschouwburg

Photo Barba Andrès © Daniel Mordzinski