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Ecuadorian author, Edna Iturralde, is considered the most important figure in children and young adult's literature in Latin America with nearly sixty published books. In 2014, her collection of short stories, Verde fue mi selva, now translated and published here in English for the first time as Green Was My Forest, was selected as one of the ten best children's books written in Latin America during the 20th Century. Iturralde's books are used in the school curriculum of Houston and Los Angeles. The Texas Library Association selected two of her books for its 2016-17 list of ten recommended books. Two of her books are part of the Required Summer Reading Books recommended by Scholastic Books. Three of her books have won the Skipping Stones International Book Prize, and five of her books won the International Latino Book Award. Jessica Powell, has translated dozens of works by a wide variety of Latin American writers. Her translation of Antonio Benítez Rojo's novel Woman in Battle Dress (City Lights, 2015) was a finalist for the PEN Center USA Literary Award for Translation. Her translation of Wicked Weeds by Pedro Cabiya (Mandel Vilar Press, 2016), was named a finalist for the 2017 Best Translated Book Award and made the longlist for the 2017 National Translation Award. Her most recent translation, the first-ever English translation of Pablo Neruda's book-length poem, venture of the infinite man, was just published by City Lights Books in October of 2017. |