The People's Publishing House of China, Beijing, recently named Roberto Ampuero's novel Pasiones Griegas one of the best Spanish-language novels published in 2006. The book was chosen by a committee of Chinese hispanists on behalf of the publishing house, that country's principal publisher for the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Acclaimed writers including Elena Poniatovska, Alfonso Cueto and Tomas Eloy Martinez have won this prize in the past.  Ampuero was a 1996 fellow of the International Writing Program, and he teaches Taller de Escritura Creativa, a Spanish-language creative writing workshop, in the UI Department of Spanish and Portuguese. He has authored nine novels (which have been translated into 8 languages) and a book of short stories. He is also a columnist for the Chilean newspaper La Tercera and The New York Times Syndicate.

This summer, Roberto Ampuero will tour seven Latin American countries to promote the book, which will be published by HarperCollins on June 12. HarperCollins will publish the English translation of Pasiones Griegas in 2008.

Related Links:
"China-Chile: Novela de Roberto Ampuero Gano Premio y Sera Traducida al Chino." 5/25/2007 press release, in Spanish
"Spanish Done Creatively," The Daily Iowan, 2/13/06
"Leaving the Land," The Daily Iowan, 4/21/05