Alison Trujillo Translations

A Leer: Books for 2015

¡Feliz año nuevo! This post is all about books I hope to check out in 2015, and particularly books related to the experiences of individuals in Spain and Latin America….

1. To begin, Jardín, written by Chilean author Pablo Simonetti, tells the story of three siblings’ difficult decision to move their mother out of the family home where she has lived for many years…and especially away from the garden that she loves. It is apparently told through different perspectives, and sounds both beautiful and intriguing. Video here.

2. I’m curious to read Survival Songs: Conchita Piquer’s ‘Coplas’ and Franco’s Regime on Terror, new from University of Toronto Press and written by Stephanie Sieburth. Music and its influence on those surviving Franco’s oppressive regime following the Spanish Civil War.

2. A re-published compilation of letters from Maryse Holder to her best friend and publisher, Edith Jones Rubin. Give Sorrow Words from Holder & Jones Publishers. The book website sums up: “In 1976, Maryse Holder traveled to Mexico to pursue a life of sexual exploration. She wrote a series of letters describing her experiences…Following Holder’s brutal murder in Mexico at the age of 36, these letters became the basis for the book Give Sorrow Words: Maryse Holder’s Letters from Mexico. This long-forgotten masterpiece of feminist sexuality is timelier than ever, foreshadowing the blunt talk about a women’s erotic life embodied by Lena Dunham and others.”

4. Cortázar de la A a la Z is a collection of memorabilia from Julio Cortázar’s life and work, published by Alfaguara. Hoping to read this and then move on to Hopscotch and Rayuela.

Happy reading,

-A

P.S.: For a peek into one of my favorite books, La tregua, read this!

América invertida

A group of us Spanish-speakers in my workplace have begun a monthly chat and social time, usually focused on a particular article, book, or film. We discuss topics related to Latin America and Spain, and reflect on our experiences as Spanish speakers here in California.

Our first meeting focused on the idea of “pegarle de zurda,” which roughly translates to “kick it from the left.” It means to flip something on it’s head, to look at things through a different lens, or to question the status quo. This phrase is the theme of the song “De zurda” by Gustavo Santaolalla, Gustavo Cordera, Julieta Venegas and Chocquibtown. It came out during World Cup and, apart from the clear soccer theme, was an encouragement to look at things from a new – in this case, Latin American – perspective. It was also a reaction to Pitbull and JLo’s World Cup theme song, which is in English and had a very North American perspective.

One thing I learned about through our conversation was of the Uruguayan artist Joaquín Torres García and his lovely, simple image entitled “América invertida” – “Inverted America.”

I love it so much that I’m getting a shirt made at Cafe Press! For anyone who has spent time “south” of the equator, you know that south becomes north and north becomes south….I’ll give you a minute to meditate on that one.

Anyway, I love this image and what it represents. When I was in South Amerrica, my world felt upside down – the stars are not where they “should” be. The weather is not what it “should” be for that time of year. The world – my world – was al revés, and everyone should know what it feels like to realize that what is foreign for you is completely normal to others.

¡Pegarle de zurda!

Highlights from Madrid

My husband and I just enjoyed two days in Madrid. It’s not a lot of time, but we made the best of it, especially considering jet lag! Here are some highlights…

Cava and manchego cheese at the bar in our lovely hotel, Posada del Leon de Oro. Also, this is what we dubbed the “wine wall” in the restaurant:

Visiting the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza to see the extensive permanent collection and their current pop art exhibit:

Our best meal on this trip so far was at Distrito 798, run by chef Armando Justo. You can read my husband’s glowing review here! (Notice that Yelp filtered the review…annoying.)

Finally, we enjoyed the Arab-style baths at Hamman Al-Andalus Madrid, and generally meandered around:

Thanks to The Well-Traveled Postcard for images of the Arab baths.

Delivering Good News

The title of this new post sounds suspiciously religious, but it’s not! I’m offering a roundup of some good, positive things that have been going on in the Spanish-speaking world.

In the summertime and other vacation days, I spend a lot more time listening to news on the radio or perusing news stories online. As we know, the media loves to focus on the negative, and in fact that’s what tends to capture our attention most. However, I was craving more positive news.

It started in yoga class a couple of weeks ago. On the way to class I was in my car, listening to public radio. That morning, the news roundup was just a barrage of reports about horrible acts from around the world…never ending. Once I got to class, I was thankful for the quiet. At one point, everyone was sweaty and lying on their stomachs, in between backbends. While resting by cheek on my hands in front on me, I glanced around to see everyone around with eyes closed, serenely focused and breathing. We all looked so peaceful, and it struck me that, in the outside world we were all struggling and swimming upstream against each other, yet for a moment we were all in the same calm space together.

I decided I needed more connections like this with my fellow humans: more reminders of what we have in common, instead of what keeps us apart. Ever since, I’ve been trying to make a point of checking out positive news stories. So, in this spirit, here are a few links to good news from the Spanish-speaking world.

de Colombia: “From drugs to dreams: The unlikely turnaround of Medellín”

de España: “Spain in global first as wind power dominates”

de Chile: “Fog catchers pull water from air in Chile’s dry fields”

de México: “Mexico City Roof Gardens Take Root to Combat Smog, Warming”

de El Salvador: “Salvadoran president’s home becomes gallery with focus on poor”

de Costa Rica: “Even in defeat, Costa Rica celebrates”

Happy reading!

Intro to FluentU

I recently learned of a new language-learning resource called FluentU. This is a new website that will teach Spanish and a variety of other languages through level-based video content. Read on for info about this site and a special offer!

How to use FluentU

The first thing you will do upon signing up with the site is choose which level of language learning you are at – complete beginner to Advanced or Native. After this, you will see a number of videos available to you, in the target language, based on your level of fluency. One aspect of this site I really like is the ability to highlight a word from the Spanish subtitles of a video and add it to a virtual vocabulary list for later study – super easy.

10 Private Beta Invites

Here’s the fun part – FluentU gave me 10 private beta invites! The first ten people to contact me will receive an invite to use the site for free during the beta testing! You will be able to tour the site, watch videos, and more. This will help to ensure that the site runs well when it goes completely live.

Happy learning,

A Love Letter to Oaxaca

Most of us have a place, somewhere in the world, that so entices us and draws us in that we return to it in our mind over and over again. For you, it may be a beach on a faraway island. It could be your hometown. It could be a city you lived in or only passed through for a day. Perhaps you have returned to that place many times, or maybe right now returning is a dream, something that you keep on the back burner, so to speak.

The other night my husband and I were having one of our many travel chats, and I asked him, “If you could only take one more trip for the rest of your life, where would you go?” He paused and said that, well, there are so many places out there…he’d have to do some research.

Before even finishing my question, I realized I knew what my answer was: Oaxaca.

Right now I’m in the middle of the book My Own Country by Abraham Verghese. Verghese, a doctor specializing in infectious diseases, was at the frontlines when small-town America began to face the AIDS crisis. His book chronicles his time living and working in Johnson City, Tennessee. It was a long way from India, where his family is from, and Ethiopia, where he grew up. And yet, the small town began to feel like home. He writes, “I suppose this is when you know that a town has become your town: where others see brick, a broken window, a boarded up storefront, you feel either moved to tears or to joy. The map of the town becomes the map of your memories, the grid on which you play out your obsessions, on which you mark your great loves and your enmities; its geography becomes your destiny.”

El Jardín Etno-Botánico y el ex-convento de Santo Domingo

I read this the day after my Oaxaca realization, and it couldn’t be more true. I’ve had wonderful moments there – weaving through Abastos and spending time with dear friends in Teotitlán del Valle. I’ve also had sad times, such as a very specific melancholy that hits me when it rains there, or needing to catch a flight and not being ready to go. And all this, like Verghese says, makes up my map of the place.

So, with Valentine’s Day in the recent past, I send loving thoughts to a place that will always have my heart.

Thanks to the following sites for lovely pictures: www.tripomatic.com, www.eluniversal.com.mx, www.seccionamarilla.com.mx, www.thelittlemarket.com

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How to use FluentU

10 Private Beta Invites

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