Obejas’ work is described as deeply concerned with notions of self-identification through the lenses of personal desire, historical weight, the immediacy of language and the calls of various homes. Here are some thoughts on her fiction titles:
Of Days of Awe, the San Jose Mercury News says:
“Rich and sonorous prose . . . There’s plenty of reason to hope for the future of a fiction that welcomes writers with such a passionate sense of the past.”
Of This is What Happened in Our Other Life, A Midsummer Night’s Press says:
“As in her novels, Obejas’ poems are often concerned with memory–the physical memories of the body, the ache of wanting–and of finding a way home again.”
Of Ruins, Junot Díaz (whose book, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, was translated by Obejas into Spanish) says:
“Daring, tough, and deeply compassionate, Achy Obejas’s Ruins is a breathtaker. Obejas writes like an angel, which is to say: gloriously . . . one of Cuba’s most important writers.”
Further Reading (Reviews/Interviews/Features):
♦ The first chapter of Ruins at The New York Times
♦ Review of Ruins at Blogcritics
♦ Review of Ruins at the CCLaP
♦ Interview at sx salon
In closing, enjoy this 2009 glimpse of Obejas reading from Ruins. We look forward to hearing from her, live and direct, in a matter of months! Check back tomorrow to meet our first non-fiction judge of the year.
Author photo copyrighted to Kaloian, here.