
Andrés Neuman (born January 28, 1977) is a
Spanish-
Argentine
Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
writer, poet, translator, columnist and blogger.
The son of Argentine émigré musicians, he was born in
Buenos Aires,
Argentina, to a mother of French and Spanish descent and a father of Eastern European-Jewish descent. He spent his childhood in Buenos Aires, before going into exile with his family to
Granada
Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
,
Spain. The stories of his European ancestors and family migrations, his childhood recollections and the kidnapping of his paternal aunt during the military dictatorship, can be read on his novel ''Una vez Argentina''. He has a degree in Spanish Philology from the
University of Granada, where he also taught
Latin American literature. He holds both Argentine and Spanish citizenships.
Through a vote called by the
Hay Festival, Neuman was selected among the most outstanding young Latin American authors, being included on the first
Bogotá39 Bogotá39 was a collaborative project between the Hay Festival and Bogotá: UNESCO World Book Capital City 2007 in order to identify 39 of the most promising Latin American writers under the age of 39. The judges for the contest were three Colombian ...
lis
He was also selected by ''
Granta'' magazine in Spanish and English as one of the 22 Best of Young Spanish-Language Novelists.
His fourth novel, the award-winning ''Traveller of the Century'', first to be published in English, was selected among the best books of the year by ''
The Guardian'
''
The Independent'
and ''
Financial Times'
This novel was also shortlisted for the
Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, achieving
Special Commendationfrom the jury; as well as shortlisted for the
International Dublin Literary Award, being named one of "the two frontrunners who so sure-footedly outpaced the strong pack", according to an article written by the jury fo
''The Guardian''
His next novel translated into English was ''Talking to Ourselves'', described by ''
The New York Times'' as "a contemporary family drama and unflinching story of grief" as well as "a literary adventure", was longlisted for the
Best Translated Book Awardbr>
shortlisted for the
Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prizebr>
and selected as number 1 among the Top 20 books of the year by ''Typographical Era''. His collection of stories ''The Things We Don't Do'' was longlisted for th
Best Translated Book Awardand won th
Firecracker Awardfor fiction, given by the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses with the American Booksellers Association. He is also the author of a travel book about Latin America, ''How to Travel without Seeing: Dispatches from the New Latin America''.
His latest novel, ''Fracture'', "filled with insights into cross-cultural intimacies" according to ''
The New Yorker'' and "a moving examination of love and human relationships in the face of calamity" according to the ''Washington Independent Review of Books'', was longlisted for the
Premio Gregor von Rezzori in Italy, shortlisted for the Premio Dulce Chacón and the Premio San Clemente in Spain, and selected by ''
El Mundo'' as one of the 5 best novels of the year in the Spanish language as well as one of the books of the year through a poll among critics, journalists and booksellers by ''
El País
''El País'' (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. ''El País'' is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA.
It is the second most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . ''El Pa ...
''. It has been recently published in English by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux in the US and
Granta in the UK.
In one of the essays of his book ''Entre paréntesis'' (''Between Parentheses''), the Chilean writer
Roberto Bolaño stated about Neuman: "He has a gift. No good reader will fail to perceive in these pages something that can only be found in great literature, that which is written by true poets. The literature of the twenty-first century will belong to Neuman and to a handful of his blood brothers".
Awards and honours
*1998 Antonio Carvajal Young Poetry Prize for his first collection of poems, ''Métodos de la noche''.
*1999 Federico García Lorca Poetry Prize for ''Alfileres de luz''.
*1999 First Finalist in the
Herralde Prize for his first novel, ''Bariloche'', which was selected as one of the best ten novels of the year by ''El Cultural'', the literary supplement of the national newspaper ''
El Mundo''.
*2002
Hiperión Prize for his poetry collection, ''El tobogán'' (2002).
*2003 First Finalist in the
Herralde Prize for his third novel, ''Una vez Argentina''.
*2009
Alfaguara Prize for his fourth novel, ''El viajero del siglo'' (''Traveller of the Century'', 2009). This book was selected as one of the five best novels of the year published in Spanish language, in two different votes: one called by the national newspaper ''
El País
''El País'' (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. ''El País'' is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA.
It is the second most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . ''El Pa ...
'' among 50 critics and journalist
and another one called by the national newspaper ''
El Mundo'
* 2009 National Critics Prize:
Premio de la Crítica Española The "Premios de la Crítica" are literary prizes awarded on a yearly basis by the Asociación Española de Críticos Literarios to the best narrative and poetic works published in Spain on the preceding year. The prizes cover all four official lang ...
for ''El viajero del siglo'' (''Traveler of the Century'').
*2013
Independent Foreign Fiction Prize shortlist for ''Traveller of the Century'' (Nick Caistor & Lorenza Garcia; Spanish; Pushkin Press).
*2013 Special Commendation from the Jury of the
Independent Foreign Fiction Prize for ''Traveller of the Century''.
*2013
Best Translated Book Award longlist for ''Traveler of the Century''.
*2014
International Dublin Literary Award shortlist for ''Traveller of the Century'' (Nick Caistor & Lorenza Garcia; Spanish; Pushkin Press and
Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
*2014
Puterbaugh Fellow
Bill Puterbaugh (June 6, 1936 – October 9, 2017) was an American racing driver in the United States Automobile Club, USAC Championship Car series. He raced in the 1967-1971, the 1975–1977, and the 1979 seasons, with 31 career starts, includin ...
br>
*2015
Best Translated Book Award longlist for his fifth novel, ''Talking to Ourselves''.
*2015
Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize shortlist for ''Talking to Ourselves''.
*2016
International Dublin Literary Award longlist for ''Talking to Ourselves'' (Nick Caistor & Lorenza Garcia; Spanish; Pushkin Press and
Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
*2016
Best Translated Book Award longlist for ''The Things We Don't Do''.
*2016 Firecracker Award for ''The Things We Don't Do''.
*2018 Premio Dulce Chacón shortlist for his sixth novel, ''Fractura''. This book was also selected as one of the Books of the Year by ''
El País
''El País'' (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. ''El País'' is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA.
It is the second most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . ''El Pa ...
'', through a vote by critics, journalists and booksellers.
*2019 Premio San Clemente Rosalía-Abanca shortlist for ''Fractura''.
*2020
Premio Gregor von Rezzori longlist for ''Fractura''
List of works
;Novels
* ''Bariloche'' (1999). Barcelona:
Anagrama. . Paperback edition, 2008, . First Finalist in the Herralde Prize.
* ''La vida en las ventanas'' (2002). Madrid: Espasa-Calpe. . First Finalist in the Primavera Prize.
* ''Una vez Argentina'' (2003). Barcelona:
Anagrama. . First Finalist in the Herralde Prize. New rewritten and expanded edition: ''Una vez Argentina'' (2014). Madrid:
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 ...
. .
* ''El viajero del siglo'' (2009) (''Traveller of the Century''). Madrid:
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 ...
. . Winner of
Alfaguara Prize and National Critics Prize.
* ''Hablar solos'' (2012) (''Talking to Ourselves''). Madrid:
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 ...
. .
* ''Fractura'' (2018). Madrid:
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 ...
. .
* ''Umbilical'' (2022). Madrid:
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 ...
.
;Poetry
* ''Métodos de la noche'' (1998). Madrid: Ediciones Hiperión. . Antonio Carvajal Young Poetry Prize.
* ''El jugador de billar'' (2000). Valencia: Editorial Pre-Textos. .
* ''El tobogán'' (2002). Madrid: Ediciones Hiperión. . Hiperión Poetry Prize.
* ''Mística abajo'' (2008). Barcelona: Editorial Acantilado. .
* ''Década. Poesía 1997-2007'' (2008). Barcelona: Editorial Acantilado. .
* ''No sé por qué y Patio de locos'' (2013). Valencia: Editorial Pre-Textos. 978-84-15576-47-1.
* ''Vivir de oído'' (2018). Madrid: La Bella Varsovia. .
;Short stories
* ''El que espera'' (2000). Barcelona:
Anagrama. .
* ''El último minuto'' (2001). Madrid: Espasa. . New edition by Páginas de Espuma (Madrid, 2007, ).
* ''Alumbramiento'' (2006). Madrid: Páginas de Espuma. .
* ''Hacerse el muerto'' (2011). Madrid: Páginas de Espuma. .
;Others
* ''
Die Winterreise
''Winterreise'' (, ''Winter Journey'') is a song cycle for voice and piano by Franz Schubert ( D. 911, published as Op. 89 in 1828), a setting of 24 poems by German poet Wilhelm Müller. It is the second of Schubert's two song cycles on Müller' ...
'' of
Wilhelm Müller (2003) (''Viaje de invierno'', ''Winter Journey'' translation from German to Spanish). Barcelona: Editorial Acantilado. .
* ''El equilibrista'' (2005). Barcelona: Editorial Acantilado. .
* ''Cómo viajar sin ver. Latinoamérica en tránsito'' (2010) (''How to Travel Without Seeing. Latin America in Transit'', travel book). Madrid:
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 ...
. .
* ''Caso de duda'' (2016). Granada: Cuadernos del Vigía. .
* ''Anatomía sensible'' (2019). Madrid: Páginas de Espuma.
Review of ''Anatomía sensible'' in ''La Razón''
English translations
* ''Traveller of the Century'' (2012, UK, Pushkin Press). 978-190654866
Translated by Nick Caistor and Lorenza García.
* ''Traveler of the Century'' (2012, US, Farrar, Straus and Giroux). 978-037411939
Translated by Nick Caistor and Lorenza García.
* ''Talking to Ourselves'' (2014, UK, Pushkin Press). 978-178227055
Translated by Nick Caistor and Lorenza García.
* ''Talking to Ourselves'' (2014, US, Farrar, Straus and Giroux). 978-037416753
Translated by Nick Caistor and Lorenza García.
* ''The Things We Don't Do'' (2014, UK, Pushkin Press). 978-178227073
Translated by Nick Caistor and Lorenza García.
* ''The Things We Don't Do'' (2015, US, Open Letter Books). 978-1-940953-18-
Translated by Nick Caistor and Lorenza García.
* ''How to Travel without Seeing: Dispatches from the New Latin America'' (2016, US, Restless Books). 978-163206055
Translated by Jeffrey Lawrence.
* ''Fracture'' (2020, US, Farrar, Straus and Giroux). 978-037415823
Translated by Nick Caistor and Lorenza García.
* ''Fracture'' (2020, UK, Granta). 978-178378513
Translated by Nick Caistor and Lorenza García.
References
External links
Official website
(some English texts)
* Review of ''Traveller of the Century'' in '' The Independent'
* Review of ''Traveller of the Century'' in '' The Guardian'
* Review of ''Traveler of the Century'' in '' The L Magazine'
* Short story in '' Words Without Borders'
* Interview in ''Untitled Books'
* Interview in ''Latineos. Latin America, Caribbean, arts & culture'
* PRISA News about the Alfaguara Priz
* "Conquering Displacement With Words" by Valerie Miles
Valerie Miles (New York, 1963) is a publisher, writer, translator and the co–founder of ''Granta en español''. She is known for promoting Spanish and Latin American literature and their translation in the English speaking world, at the same ti ...
in The New York Timesbr>
* Audio Interview wit
Michael Cathcart ABC Radio
* Review of ''Talking to Ourselves'' in '' The Guardian'
* Review of ''Talking to Ourselves'' in '' The Independent'
* Review of ''Talking to Ourselves'' in ''Upcoming4.me'
Andres Neuman recorded at the Library of Congress for the Hispanic Division’s audio literary archive on Mar. 15, 2013
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neuman, Andres
1977 births
Living people
Argentine emigrants to Spain
Argentine male novelists
Argentine people of Spanish descent
Argentine people of Italian descent
Argentine people of Jewish descent
Argentine writers in German
Spanish writers in German
Jewish Argentine writers
Writers from Buenos Aires