William Trlak
To Stroll South America
My collection focuses on South American literature, both in the original Spanish, and in translation from Spanish and Portuguese to English. This collection began at a moment where I began to see my personal identity as Ecuadorian and my personal and academic commitments to literature collide. I am excited by the ability for books to represent microcosmic and varied experiences of a unified, yet disparate identity: South American.
—William Trlak, 4th-year winner
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View his full bibliography
Allende, Isabel. The House of the Spirits. Translated by Magda Bogin. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1991.
This is a prized possession, signed by Isabel Allende herself, and adorned with her signature hand drawn flower. My other two copies are my go-to, but this one is the showstopper.
Allende, Isabel. The Stories of Eva Luna. Translated by Margaret Sayers Peden. New York: Atheneum, 1991.
I am intrigued by the depiction of Eva Luna on the cover, draped in a beautiful yellow robe, looking forlornly in a mirror. The first short story in the collection “Two Words” is my favorite short story, so this book has a lot of significance to me.
Allende, Isabel. Of Love and Shadows. Translated by Margaret Sayers Peden. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1987.
This copy has a beautiful cover image, the darkest of all of my Allende’s.
Llosa, Mario Vargas. La Fiesta del Chivo. Madrid: Punto de Lectura, 2000.
A book incredibly important to me, gifted to me by my late grandfatherwho got it from his brother in Ecuador. A book that has traversed continents.
Marzana, Miguel. Descomposiciones aceite de un cielo. Ciudad de Mexico: VersodestierrO &Campo Literario, 2018.
This book feels so perfect in my hands, and is one of the most beautiful I own. I love the cardstock cover and its unusual shape.
Márquez, Gabriel García. Doce Cuentos Peregrinos. Bogotá: Editorial Oveja Negra, 1992.
Some of the pages are falling apart and written on, but fully readable. I love the photo of Marquez on the back, as he looks so happy.
Galeano, Eduardo. Las venas abiertas de América latina. Madrid: Siglo XXI, 2010.
A fairly worn copy of this book, but an absolutely necessary read for anyone studying South American literature. The book is an absolutely stunning jet black, superimposed by a skeleton wearing a colorful headdress. Bought from a bookseller in Chile.
