By Christopher Soto
FROM: Los Angeles Times

There’s a movement afoot — if you know where to look.

For too long, the American literary industry has discussed El Salvador and its people through the gaze of cultural outsiders. But that has started to change, with an explosion of writing by Salvadorans in the United States — especially those with ties to California.

These works range from a memoir detailing Central American migration to a novel of suburban reckoning, from essays and poems to academic works and even a cookbook. The past couple years have led up to what Felix Cruz, a publicist for Random House, calls the “Salvadoran Renaissance in literature.” To Cruz, what matters most is “moving beyond tropes and monoliths” to tell stories from within the community. “With nuance and nerve, these writers are articulating both the depth of wounds and the integrative power in healing our community yearns for.”

In 2022, this renaissance became undeniable. Javier Zamora’s Solito, a debut memoir following his trek to the United States at age 9, hit the New York Times bestseller list in September. Like all successes, it was years in the making — built in part through Zamora’s work as co-founder of Undocupoets, a much needed beacon and resource for migrant writers.

Even as Solito was topping the lists, another breakthrough writer was announced as a National Book Award finalist. The Town of Babylon, a debut novel by Salvadoran Colombian Alejandro Varela, follows a queer man confronting his past during his 20th high school reunion in his suburban hometown. Varela’s second book, The People Who Report More Stress, a short-story collection, will be out this April. Read Rest of Article Here