The Distance Between Us -- Renato Cisneros, Paperback

'This is an impressive book. In writing it the author demonstrates great talent, as well as great courage.' --Mario Vargas Llosa

If I succeed in understanding who he was before I was born, perhaps I will be able to understand who I am now that he is dead...In this sprawling family saga stretching across Latin America, a son embarks on a journey to understand his complex relationship with his father and how it shaped the man he is today. Recalling Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude and Isabel Allende's House of the Spirits, the renowned journalist and writer Renato Cisneros probes deep into his own family history to try to come to terms with his father, General Luis Federico 'The Gaucho' Cisneros, a leading, controversial figure in the oppressive military regime that held power in Peru during the 1970s and 1980s, a tortuous period marked by state-sanctioned terrorism and the rise of the Shining Path.Selling over 35,000 copies in Peru alone, The Distance Between Us is at once excruciating in its honesty and deeply moving in its universal relevance. Selected for a slew of international prizes, it is now available in English for the first time.

Author: Renato Cisneros
Publisher: Charco Press
Published: 08/06/2020
Pages: 357
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 7.70h x 5.10w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9781999859312

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 06/29/2020

About the Author

Renato Cisneros (Lima, 1976) is a well-known journalist, broadcaster and writer in Peru, where he presents current affairs programmes on radio and TV. Having published a number of books of poetry and two novels, in 2015 he stepped back from his career as a broadcaster to fully concentrate on his writing. The Distance Between Us has sold over 35,000 copies in Peru alone and has been lauded in the Peruvian and international press. It was shortlisted for the Second Mario Vargas Llosa Biannual Award, longlisted for the Prix Médicis (2017) and was the winner of the Prix Transfuge du Meilleur Roman De Littérature Hispanique (2017). A prequel, Dejarás la tierra is already a bestseller in Spain and Latin America and is to be published by Charco Press. Renato Cisneros lives in Madrid.

Fionn Petch is a Scottish-born translator. He lived in Mexico City for 12 years, where he completed a PhD in Philosophy at the UNAM, and now lives in Berlin. His translations of Latin American literature for Charco Press have been widely acclaimed. Fireflies by Luis Sagasti was shortlisted for the Translators' Association First Translation Award 2018. The Distance Between Us by Renato Cisneros received an English PEN Award in 2018. A Musical Offering, also by Luis Sagasti, was shortlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize 2021 and won the Society of Authors Premio Valle Inclán 2021 for best translation from Spanish.