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Samanta Schweblin

Biography

Samanta Schweblin

Samanta Schweblin is the author of the story collection SEVEN EMPTY HOUSES, winner of the National Book Award for Translated Literature; FEVER DREAM, a finalist for the International Booker Prize; and the novel LITTLE EYES and story collection A MOUTHFUL OF BIRDS, longlisted for the same prize. Chosen by Granta as one of the 22 best writers in Spanish under the age of 35, she has won numerous prestigious awards around the world. Her books have been translated into 35 languages, and her work has appeared in English in The New Yorker and Harper’s Magazine. Originally from Buenos Aires, Schweblin lives in Berlin.

Samanta Schweblin

Books by Samanta Schweblin

written by Samanta Schweblin, translated by Megan McDowell - Fiction, Short Stories

The seven houses in these seven stories are strange. A person is missing, or a truth, or memory; some rooms are enticing, some unmoored, others empty. But in Samanta Schweblin's tense, visionary tales, something always creeps back inside: a ghost, a fight, trespassers, a list of things to do before you die, a child's first encounter with darkness or the fallibility of parents. In each story, twists and turns will unnerve and surprise. Schweblin never takes the expected path and instead digs under the skin, revealing surreal truths about our sense of home, of belonging, and of the fragility of our connections with others.

written by Samanta Schweblin, translated by Megan McDowell - Fiction

They've infiltrated homes in Hong Kong, shops in Vancouver, the streets of Sierra Leone, town squares in Oaxaca, schools in Tel Aviv, bedrooms in Indiana. They're everywhere. They're here. They're us. They're not pets, or ghosts, or robots. They're real people, but how can a person living in Berlin walk freely through the living room of someone in Sydney? How can someone in Bangkok have breakfast with your children in Buenos Aires, without your knowing? Especially when these people are completely anonymous, unknown, unfindable. The characters in LITTLE EYES reveal the beauty of connection between far-flung souls --- but they also expose the ugly side of our increasingly linked world.

written by Samanta Schweblin, translated by Megan McDowell - Fiction, Short Stories

Samanta Schweblin haunts and mesmerizes in this extraordinary collection featuring women on the edge, men turned upside down, the natural world at odds with reality. We think life is one way, but often it’s not --- our expectations for how people act, love and fear can all be upended. Each character in MOUTHFUL OF BIRDS must contend with the unexpected, whether a family coming apart at the seams or a child transforming or a ghostly hellscape or a murder. Schweblin’s stories have the feel of a sleepless night, where every shadow and bump in the dark take on huge implications, leaving your pulse racing, and the line between the real and the strange blurs.

written by Samanta Schweblin, translated by Megan McDowell - Fiction, Literary Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

A young woman named Amanda lies dying in a rural hospital clinic. A boy named David sits beside her. She’s not his mother. He's not her child. Together, they tell a haunting story of broken souls, toxins, and the power and desperation of family. FEVER DREAM is a nightmare come to life, a ghost story for the real world, a love story and a cautionary tale.