ILFU Book Club with Brenda Navarro
Address: De Utrechtse Boekenbar, Westerkade 2, 3511 HA Utrecht
Doors open at 18:30
Starts at 19:00
Admission: € 7.50 (free for ILFU Members)
Language: Dutch, English
About Ceniza en la boca
Brenda Navarro – Ceniza en la boca (Het geluid van een lichaam (2024)) | Das Mag
“The novel takes the form of a jeremiad, alternating between rage, sorrow, incomprehension and desire”, wrote critic Diewertje Mertens in Trouw; “A tour through a life of suffering.” The second novel by the Mexican writer Brenda Navarro (1982) definitely isn’t for the weak of heart. In Ceniza en la boca, a young woman takes a journey through her past to find out what had happened to her brother, Diego. Her brother was always the sensitive, cheerful, smart one who was sure to finish school and escape from poverty and violence. But when Diego’s sister finally returns to Mexico after her many travels, she does so with his ashes in a plastic bag.
Ceniza en la boca is simultaneously overwhelming, tender and merciless. It is painful to read, and it forces you think about inequality, racism, sexism and exploitation, as well as loss, misunderstanding, anger and unfulfilled dreams. With her second novel, Brenda Navarro has definitively established herself as one of Latin America’s most daring and important authors. The book has won several literary and publishing awards.
About Brenda Navarro
Foto: Begoña Rivas
Brenda Navarro (1982) was born in Mexico City, where she studied sociology and feminist economics. Today she lives in Madrid and writes for El País. She investigates and writes about women’s labour, their access to culture, digital rights and humanities, and about migration. She counts Fernanda Melchor, Pilar Quintana, Alejandro Zambra, Yuri Herrera and Miriam Toews among her biggest fans. Ceniza en la boca is her award-winning sophomore novel. Joep Harmsen has translated it into Dutch as Het geluid van een lichaam.