From Carmen Boullosa, winner of Mexico's prestigious Xavier Villaurrutia
Award, comes Heavens on Earth, a testament to the power of the written
word in transcending political, racial, and cultural barriers to create
and preserve history. Lear, officially known as 24, lives in
L'Atlàntide, a utopian post-apocalyptic society placing increasing
limits on the use of language. Steadfast in her resistance to new
regulations and pressure to conform, Lear continues to transcribe the
writings of Don Hernando, a 16th century Indian priest, and of Estela in
the 20th century, an early translator of Don Hernando's work. Though
separated by time and space, Lear and Estela find strength in Hernando's
words, ultimately rebelling against their respective societies in a
struggle for remembrance.
Cloud Atlas meets Savage Detectives in Carmen Boullosa's Heavens on
Earth as three narratives thread together in a captivating exploration
of memory, language, and humanity.
Carmen Boullosa is one of Mexico's leading novelists, poets, and
playwrights. Her most recent novel Texas: The Great Theft (Deep
Vellum, 2014) was shortlisted for the PEN Translation Prize, nominated
for the International Dublin Literary Award, and won Typographical Era's
Translation Award. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and Mexico City,
Mexico.
