HopeRoad scoops a series of Latin American YA books by Ivanier, Blasco and Revillas

HopeRoad has scooped a series of Latin American YA books by Federico Ivanier, Martín Blasco and Antonio Ramos Revillas.

Founding publisher Rosemarie Hudson acquired world English rights to Never Tell Anyone Your Name by Ivanier directly from the author. She also acquired world English rights to Blasco’s The Darkness of Colours from the publisher Kapelusz Norma, and world English rights, excluding Canada and the US, to Revillas’ The Wild Ones from the publisher Fondo de Cultura Económica.

The books were brought to Hudson’s attention through an Arts Council England-funded project by translator Claire Storey. These publications mark the first English translations acquired in the UK from Latin America for young people in at least five years, according to the publisher. 

Storey, a translator and former co-editor of the blog at World Kid Lit, said: "Young people with Latin American heritage deserve to see themselves depicted in the stories they read, and as long as this vast region remains unrepresented, we’re all missing out. I’m thrilled that HopeRoad has invested in not one but three of the titles presented in my project.”

Ivanier’s Never Tell Anyone Your Name was published as a paperback original on 26th October 2023, and it has won the Bartolomé Hidalgo Prize in Uruguay. The author, who was also awarded the National Prize for Literature from the Uruguayan Ministry for Education & Culture, will be travelling to the UK to feature in two events at the YA Literary Convention (YALC) in London Olympia on Saturday 11th November, alongside Storey and Hudson. 

The second book, Blasco’s historical novel The Darkness of Colours, will be published in autumn 2024 as paperback original. The synopsis says: "Set in turn-of-the-century Buenos Aires, it revolves around a chilling social experiment into the idea of nurture versus nature. This novel has been critically acclaimed not only in the Spanish original, which was awarded Best Edited Novel by the Argentine Chamber of Publishing, but also in the French translation, winning the Belgian Prix Farniente."

The final book in the series will be Mexican author Revillas’ The Wild Ones, to be published in summer 2024 as a paperback original. The synopsis for the book explains: "In contrast to the other two titles, this gritty story of social realism highlights the struggles of a marginalised family living in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey, one of the most ’liveable’ cities in Mexico. A winner of the Fundación Cuatrogatos Prize, The Wild Ones was also included in the prestigious White Ravens, the annual publication which features outstanding children’s and young adult literature from around the world."

Hudson commented: "Claire is well known as an extraordinary translator and champion of the very best of Latin American YA and I’m delighted she brought this series of Latin American books to my attention. These stories push the boundaries of what is expected from Latin American literature and deserve to be read widely."