Latin American Fiction
Michael B. Miller
Traducciones español-inglés

To Die In Veracruz (English translation of Morir en el golfo)
“Try as I may, I have been unable to get anyone to translate into English and publish any of the works of the great contemporary Mexican novelist Héctor Aguilar Camín. Aguilar Camín has many major books, but his two best-known novels are Morir en el Golfo and La guerra de Galio. Without hesitation, I would call either of these a classic of Latin American fiction. La Guerra de Galio centers on the battle over a dissident newspaper in Mexico City and shows how an idealistic generation self-destroys under the manipulation of the PRI government––it is also one of the most amazing meditations on the themes of violence and civilization in the last twenty years. Morir en el Golfo is a mystery that deals with the corrupt politics surrounding oil and trade unions. These books are essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the history of Mexico, but also who simply wants to be thrilled by extraordinary narrative power.”

Ariel Dorfman
PEN America
Volume 1, Issue 2 (Fall 2001)
Translation Forum
Subject: “What great books have never been translated into English?”

The Heritage (English translation of La descendencia)

There is no hero or villain in this chronicle of the uprooting of a generation. León Edri comes closest to being the main character, for the novel––which begins and ends with his thoughts––recounts the story of his life, among others. It is the story of an immigrant Jew who arrives in South America with his pockets empty and his spirit overflowing with his rich cultural heritage. Thirty-five years later, his pockets now filled, the immigrant sadly observes that the only thing he will be able to bequeath to his children is his wealth. The cultural heritage that he so much struggled to preserve is destined to be lost. This is therefore not solely the story of León Edri, but that of many of his fellow Jews.
(Currently in French translation as La Descendance by Editions Héloïse d'Ormesson, 367 p.) (Trans. by
Isabelle Taudière, 2006).