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The nomadic odyssey of Eduardo Halfon continues as he searches for answers surrounding his grandfather’s abduction during the Guatemalan Civil War
Berman Literature Prize Winner * Cálamo Extraordinary Prize Winner
In Canción, Eduardo Halfon’s eponymous wanderer is invited to a Lebanese writers’ conference in Japan, where he reflects on his Jewish grandfather’s multifaceted identity. To understand more about the cold, fateful day in January 1967 when his grandfather was abducted by Guatemalan guerillas, Halfon searches his childhood memories. Soon, chance encounters around the world lead to more clues about his grandfather’s captors, including a butcher nicknamed “Canción” (or song). As a brutal and complex history emerges against the backdrop of the Guatemalan Civil War, Halfon finds echoes in the stories of a woman he meets in Japan whose grandfather survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Through exquisite prose and intricate storytelling, Halfon exposes the atrocities of war and the effect that silence and extreme violence have on family and identity.
Select Praise for Canción
Berman Literature Prize Winner
Cálamo Extraordinary Prize Winner
Big Other Book Award Finalist
Dublin Literary Award Longlist
Kirkus Reviews “Best Books of the Year” selection
World Literature Today “Notable Translations of the Year” selection
“The detective novel rubs elbows with the campus novel; tragedy cuts like acid through farce.” —New York Times Book Review
More Praise for Eduardo Halfon
“One of the most talented and exciting writers of our time.” —Christopher Merrill, director of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa
“Halfon is a brilliant storyteller.” —Daniel Alarcón
“Halfon’s prose is as delicate, precise, and ineffable as precocious art, a lighthouse that illuminates everything.” —Francisco Goldman
“It is not often that one encounters such a mix of personal engagement and literary passion, or pain and tenderness.” —Andrés Neuman
“Elegant.” —Marie Claire
“Engrossing.” —NBC Latino
“Fantastic.” —NPR Alt.Latino
“Revelatory.” —New York Times Book Review
“Deeply accessible, deeply moving.” —Los Angeles Times
“Offer[s] surprise and revelation at every turn.” —Reader’s Digest
“One senses Kafka’s ghost, along with Bolaño’s, lingering in the shadows. . . . [Halfon’s] books, which take on such dark subjects, are so enjoyable to read.” —New York Review of Books
Eduardo Halfon is the author of The Polish Boxer, Monastery, Mourning, Canción, and Tarantula. He is the recipient of the Guatemalan National Prize in Literature, International Latino Book Award, Edward Lewis Wallant Award, and Berman Literature Prize, among many other honors. A citizen of Guatemala and Spain, Halfon was born in Guatemala City, attended school in Florida and North Carolina, and has lived in Nebraska, Spain, Paris, and Berlin.