Eight women who have stood out in the history of writing in Guatemala
Guatemala has been home to great writers whose works have left an immemorial mark on Literature.
From poetry to novels, these women have demonstrated their talent and commitment in the history of writing, according to Editorial Piedrasanta.
The writers selected by the editorial are part of the " Women's Day " campaign , which aims to commemorate Guatemalan women writers and their great contribution to literature.
These are just some of the most outstanding Guatemalan writers selected by Editorial Piedrasanta:
Mariela SR Coline Fanon
He works in criminal and criminal law in Belgium . In the social area, he created the Raíces Pérdidas Foundation.
He was born in Guatemala in 1986. He grew up in Belgium, with his adoptive family. In 2017 she began the search to find her biological family to know her roots.
From her experience, in 2021, she published her book "Mom I'm not dead" , in the French and Dutch languages. And in February 2022, she launched the book in Spanish in Guatemala and in Ebook format in the United States.
A Belgian and French production film is on the way. It is an adaptation of his book De él. Currently, she lives for a while in Belgium and another in Guatemala to share with her two families, the adoptive and the biological.
Monica Zak
Writer, journalist and producer of documentaries for television . For 10 years she worked for Globen magazine (El Globo), as an international correspondent, writing reports from Africa, Asia and Latin America.
In 1971 he wrote his first books, and since then he has published more than 47 books , most of them for young people and children. Her books have been translated into 15 languages.
Zak was born in Dresden , Germany , in 1939, to a Swedish mother and a Czechoslovakian father.
Roxana Mendez
Poet, storyteller and translator , with a Master's Degree in Spanish and Latin American Literature and a degree in English with a specialization in translation.
Irene Piedrasanta
Award-winning editor, educator and promoter of reading in Central America . She was born in Guatemala City in 1947 and contributed to the formation of the Guatemalan Publishers Guild and participated in the creation of the International Book Fair in Guatemala (Filgua).
Her work as an editor includes the work of great writers such as Miguel Ángel Asturias , of which she made specialized selections for children, such as “Los cuyito cuyito” or “The man who had everything, everything, everything” .
He also edited and published the work of Mario Monteforte Toledo, Flavio Herrera, Virgilio Rodríguez Macal, Rafael Arévalo Martínez, José Batres Montúfar , among others.
Patricia Sorg
International painter and novelist who mastered various media and created her own style, emphasizing the deep, vibrant color of her native Guatemala.
She was born in 1956 and began painting as a child, inspired by the landscape of mountains that surrounded her. Years ago she moved to Florida (USA) where she incorporated local landscapes, marinas and the wildlife of the American city.
Sorg's work has been published in art magazines, including American Art Collector and Southwest Art, as well as exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the Americas, including the Guatemalan Museum of Modern Art .
"Mountains that touch the sky" was his first novel . His second novel, “Tan cerca que no se mira”, was translated into English under the name “Habits that haunt me”.
His first novel was released in the United States and Canada and he has the rights to a film script through Cosmo Productions, with the intention of producing a 10-episode miniseries for webcast.
Ana Maria Rhodes
Author of various poems, born in Guatemala City in 1937 . Rodas, she is also a journalist, a profession in which she began in her youth.
After a few years of journalistic practice, Ana María wanted to venture into Literature .
In 2000, she was awarded the Miguel Ángel Asturias National Prize for Literature and her works have become benchmarks for Central American women's literature.
In 2016, he was named an Illustrious Person by the University of San Carlos , and in 2021 the Filgua was dedicated to him.
Alaide Foppa
She was a Spanish poet, writer, feminist activist, art critic, teacher and translator (she was born in Barcelona in 1914), however, she had Guatemalan citizenship.
He published several poems and essays. She also founded Fem magazine in Mexico , a pioneering publication in feminism. She worked as a translator of some works.
Among his works are:
The Phoenix Bird: Words and Time (1945)
Spring Wreath (1970)
The poetry of Michelangelo (Essay, 1966)
To conjure the dream: Guatemalan poets of the twentieth century (Anthology, 1945).
Ethel Batres
He was born in Guatemala City in 1963 . She is a music educator and researcher. She graduated as Magister Artium in Hispano-American Literature (2011).
She is the author of 24 books , 13 of them for Musical Education, as well as the author of 31 CD's and five cassettes for children. In 2012, she received the Francisco Marroquín National Order, she has also published in national and foreign magazines.
"In commemoration of his legacy, we come together to recognize his work and highlight its importance in Guatemalan culture and world literature ," explains César Ramos, Commercial Manager of Editorial Piedrasanta.
Through this initiative, we hope to publicize the work of these women and their impact on literature ; Her contributions have been fundamental in the promotion of culture and in the recognition of the female voice through novels, poetry, fables and stories , said Ramos.