Sergio Chejfec (28 November 1956 – 2 April 2022) was an
Argentine Jewish writer. He was born in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
in 1956. Chejfec published eighteen books, including novels, essays, short stories, and a poetry collection. From 1990 to 2005 he lived in
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, where he published ''Nueva sociedad'', a journal of politics, culture and the social sciences. He most recently lived in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and held the position of Distinguished Writer in Residence in the M.F.A. Creative Writing program in Spanish at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
.
His works include ''Lenta biografía'' (1990), ''Los planetas'' (1999), ''Boca de lobo'' (2000), ''Los incompletos'' (2004), ''Baroni: un viaje'' (2007), ''Mis dos mundos'' (2008), and ''La experiencia dramática'' (2012). He has been compared to
Juan José Saer
Juan José Saer ( Serodino, Santa Fe, Argentina, June 28, 1937Paris, France, June 11, 2005) was an Argentine writer, considered one of the most important in Latin American literature and in Spanish-language literature of the 20th century. He is ...
, which he found flattering but not accurate. His novels usually feature a slow-paced narration that interweaves a minimal plot with reflection. Memory, political violence, and Jewish-Argentine culture and history are some of the recurring themes in his work.
Chejfec's installation at the
Kochi-Muziris Biennale
The Kochi-Muziris Biennale is an international exhibition of contemporary art held in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. It is the largest art exhibition in the country and the biggest contemporary art festival in Asia. The Kochi-Muziris Bienna ...
2017, "Dissemination of a Novel," was based on his novel, ''Baroni, a Journey''.
Chejfec died on 2 April 2022, at the age of 65.
Awards and honors
*2000 Fellow,
John Simon Guggenheim Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Olga and Simon Guggenheim
John Simon Guggenheim (December 30, 1867 – November 2, 1941) was an American businessman, politician and philanthropist.
Life
Born in Philadelphi ...
*2007 Fellow,
Civitella Ranieri Foundation
The Civitella Ranieri Foundation is an American artists’ community located at a 15th-century castle in the Umbria region of Italy.
The Foundation provides four sessions of six-week long unstructured residencies every year to visual artists, ...
*2013
International Dublin Literary Award
The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...
, longlist, ''
My Two Worlds''
*2013
Best Translated Book Award
The Best Translated Book Award is an American literary award that recognizes the previous year's best original translation into English, one book of poetry and one of fiction. It was inaugurated in 2008 and is conferred by Three Percent, the onlin ...
, shortlist, ''The Planets''
*2014 Second National Literature Award (Argentina) for ''Modo linterna''
*2014
National Translation Award The National Translation Award is awarded annually by the American Literary Translators Association for literary translators who have made an outstanding contribution to literature in English by masterfully recreating the artistic force of a book o ...
, longlist, ''The Dark''
Bibliography
*''Lenta biografía''. Buenos Aires: Puntosur, 1990.
*''Moral''. Buenos Aires: Puntosur, 1990.
*''El aire''. Buenos Aires:
Alfaguara
Alfaguara is a Spanish-language publishing house that serves markets in Latin America, Spain and the United States. It was founded by the Spanish writer and Nobel prize winner Camilo José Cela.
History and profile
Alfaguara was established in ...
, 1992.
*''Cinco''. Saint-Nazaire (France): M.E.E.T., 1996.
*''El llamado de la especie''. Rosario (Argentina): Beatriz Viterbo, 1997.
*''Los planetas''. Buenos Aires: Alfaguara, 1999.
*''Boca de lobo''. Buenos Aires: Alfaguara, 2000.
*''Tres poemas y una merced'', in Diario de Poesía 62 (2002), Buenos Aires.
*''Gallos y huesos''. Buenos Aires: Santiago Arcos, 2003.
*''Los incompletos''. Buenos Aires: Alfaguara, 2004.
*''El punto vacilante''. Buenos Aires: Norma, 2005.
*''Baroni: un viaje''. Buenos Aires: Alfaguara, 2007.
*''Mis dos mundos''. Barcelona: Candaya, 2008.
*''Sobre Giannuzzi''. Buenos Aires: bajo la luna, 2010.
*''La experiencia dramática''. Buenos Aires: Alfaguara, 2012.
*''Hacia la ciudad eléctrica''. La Plata, Argentina: El Broche, 2012.
*''Modo linterna''. Buenos Aires: Editorial Entropía, 2013.
*
Últimas noticias de la escritura' Buenos Aires: Editorial Entropía, 2015.
*
Teoría del ascensor' España: Jekyll and Jill, 2016.
*''El visitante''. Buenos Aires: Editorial Excursiones, 2017.
*''5'', Jekyll and Jill, 2019.
English Translations
*''
My Two Worlds'' (Open Letter, 2011), translated by Margaret Carson.
*
The Planets' (Open Letter, 2012), translated by Heather Cleary.
*
The Dark' (Open Letter, 2013), translated by Heather Cleary.
*
A Studio in the Gallery: The Playful Universe of Ignacio Iturria' (Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, SUNY, 2017), translated by Julia Sanches.
*
' (Almost Island, 2017), translated by Margaret Carson.
''The Incompletes''Open Letter, 2019), translated by Heather Cleary
*
Notes Toward a Pamphlet' (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2020), translated by Whitney DeVos.
References
External links
”Simple Language, Name.”Essay by Sergio Chejfec at ''Asymptote''
Sergio Chejfec: A Machine of Illusions. Interview at ''Guernica, a magazine of art & politics''"The Story of a Notebook: Sergio Chejfec on Writing by Hand."
''Words Without Borders''. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
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1956 births
2022 deaths
Jewish Argentine writers
Writers from Buenos Aires
Deaths from pancreatic cancer