The Voices of Adriana by Elvira Navarro in San Francisco

Spanish author Elvira Navarro presents the English release of her novel “The Voices of Adriana” at Green Apple Books in San Francisco.

Spanish writer Elvira Navarro comes to San Francisco to celebrate the English release of her novel The Voices of Adriana, a lyrical exploration of grief, memory, and fragmented identity. The book, translated into English by Christina MacSweeney, and published by Two Lines Press, has been praised for its evocative prose and its deep psychological insight into the ways we process loss and time. Known for her introspective narratives and sharp exploration of urban life, Navarro has established herself as a leading voice in contemporary Spanish literature.

During this event, Navarro will discuss her work, creative process, and the themes that define her writing, including identity, memory, and urban transformation. She will be joined by acclaimed author Sarah Rose Etter, known for her bold and imaginative storytelling. Together, they will explore the complexities of literature, translation, and the ways in which narrative shapes our understanding of the world.

The voices of Adriana

Adriana has become obsessed with her father’s online dating. Recently widowed, he’s on a self-destructive, manic search for a partner to accompany him through his twilight years. At the same time, her life as an isolated grad student feels unreal, and to fill the void of her mother’s death, Adriana begins writing, trying on different voices. She builds worlds from the online profiles of her father’s flings, that is until more fundamental voices —those of her grandmother and mother— begin calling out to her in the night.

A relentless novel about the loss of lightness, about what to do with—or how to measure—the weight that remains. Brutally honest yet mysteriously elusive, with scalpel-like precision and poetic sharpness, Elvira Navarro explores the dialectic of care, its vulnerabilities and its legacies.

—Andrés Neuman, author of Traveler of the Century

Elvira Navarro

Elvira Navarro (Huelva, Spain, 1978) has published both novels and short stories. Her novel A Working Woman, which addresses the impact of the economic crisis on the contemporary female experience, has established her as a leading voice in Spanish literature. She has been the recipient of numerous significant accolades in Spain, including the Jaén Novel Prize and the Andalusian Critics’ Prize. Additionally, Granta magazine has identified her as one of the twenty-two most distinguished Spanish writers under the age of thirty-five. Her collection of short stories, Rabbit Island, has been nominated for the 2021 National Book Award for Foreign Literature. Her most recent novel, The Voices of Adriana, has been awarded the 2023 Cálamo Special Prize.

Sarah Rose Etter

Sarah Rose Etter is the author of RIPE (Scribner), and The Book of X (Two Dollar Radio), winner of the 2019 Shirley Jackson Award. Her short fiction collection, Tongue Party, was selected by Deb Olin Unferth to be published as the winner of the 2011 Caketrain Award. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The New York Times, TIME, BOMB, The Cut, VICE, and more.

Cristina MacSweeney

Christina MacSweeney has an MA in Literary Translation from the University of East Anglia. Her work has been recognized in a number of important awards. Her translation of Valeria Luiselli’s The Story of My Teeth was awarded the 2016 Valle Inclán Translation Prize and also shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award (2017). Her most recent translations include fiction and nonfiction works by Daniel Saldaña París, Elvira Navarro, Verónica Gerber Bicecci, Julián Herbert, Jazmina Barrera, and Karla Suárez. She has also contributed to anthologies of Latin American literature and published translations, articles and interviews on a variety of platforms.