'Un Amor': Sara Mesa and Katie Whittemore

The Instituto Cervantes in Manchester, the Cervantes Chair at the University of Edinburgh, in collaboration with Peirene Press Ltd, the Consulate General of Spain in Manchester, and the Consulate General of Spain in Edinburgh, invite you to the presentation of Un Amor, featuring a conversation between the author Sara Mesa and her English translator, Katie Whittemore.

Un Amor. Fleeing from past mistakes, Nat leaves her life in the city for the rural village of La Escapa. She rents a small house from a negligent landlord, adopts a dog and begins to work on her first literary translation. But nothing is easy: the dog is ill tempered and skittish and misunderstandings with her neighbour thrum below the surface. When conflict arises over repairs to her house, Nat receives an unusual offer – one that tests her sense of self, challenges her prejudices, and reveals her most unexpected desires. As Nat tries to understand her decision, the community of La Escapa comes together in search of a scapegoat.

Sara Mesa is a prominent Spanish writer, known for her novels such as El trepanador de cerebros (2010), Cuatro por cuatro [Four by Four, translated by Katie Whittemore] (2012), Cara de pan [Among the Hedges, translated by Megan McDowell] (2018), Un amor [Un Amor: A Novel, translated by Katie Whittemore] (2020), or her most recent work, La familia (2023).

Throughout her career, she has been honoured with several literary awards: in 2007, she received the prestigious Miguel Hernández National Poetry Prize for her poetry collection Este jilguero agenda; in 2011, she was awarded the Málaga Novel Prize for Un incendio invisible; in 2015, she received the recognition of the Ojo Cr´ítico Narrative Prize for Cicatriz; and in 2023, she was distinguished with the Andalusian Critics' Prize for her work La familia.

On May 28th, join us for a meeting with Sara Mesa and Katie Whittemore at Blackwell's bookstore in Manchester, hosted by H. Rosi Song, Professor of Hispanic Studies at the University of Durham.

On May 29th, meet Sara Mesa and Katie Whittemore at the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh, hosted by Alexis Grohmann, Professor of Hispanic Studies at the University of Edinburgh.