Borders and Violence: A Conversation and Reading with Lucrecia Zappi

Author and journalist Lucrecia Zappi was born in Buenos Aires in 1972, but she spent her childhood and adolescence in Sao Paulo and Mexico City. She is the author of two novels, Jaguar Negro (Benvirá, 2013) and Acre (Todavia, 2017), both published by La Huerta Grande in Spain. Her novels explore mythical worlds with vast geographies and primitive landscapes with great poetic vigor in the tradition of Latin American authors such as Juan Rulfo, Joao Guimarães Rosa, and Graciliano Ramos. Zappi studied Art in Amsterdam and Philosophy in Brussels. Upon her return to Brazil, her interest in writing led her into the world of journalism. She worked for the daily Folha de Sao Paulo, specializing in topics such as contemporary art and cuisine. An avid cook, her first book, Mil-folhas (Cosac Naify, 2010) explores the history of pastry-making in the sugar cane fields of the New World. She holds a master’s degree in Creative Writing from New York University, where she studied under E. L. Doctorow and Lydia Davis. She currently lives in New York.