About the Author

Luis Sagasti , a writer, lecturer and art critic, was born in Bahía Blanca, Argentina in 1963. The author of five novels, including Fireflies (known in Spanish as Bellas Artes, 2011) and A Musical Offering (Una Ofrenda Musical, 2017), he’s just about to publish his most recent book, comprised entirely of footnotes.

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 UK Society of Authors Premio Valle Inclán 2021 for best translation from Spanish.

Reviews

Society of Authors TA First Translation Prize (Shortlist)"A subtle marvel...a nimble writer who merits wider readership in English." —Kirkus"A genre-defying collection of associative musings on art, music, philosophy, and literature." —Publishers Weekly"Innovative, playful, and beautifully executed."" —Carlos Fonseca , author of COLONEL LAGRIMAS"Simply genius."" —Enrique Vila-Matas , author of DUBLINESQUE"A work of wonderful analogies and disparate historical footnotes." —Morning Star"Like Borges before him, Sagasti has produced a rare thing: a work of fiction as learned as it is fun." —Gary M. Perry, Foyles Charing Cross"Sagasti produces here a magnificent constellation of stories, and in doing so pays tribute to art." —Fnac"One hundred pages of pure intelligence, to be enjoyed listening to Sun Ra." —L’Arbre Vengeur**********
Praise for Luis Sagasti"A beautiful, fragmentary rendition which never strikes a false note." —Irish Times"A bewitching suite of stories about music, heard and unheard."** —The Arts Desk**"A work of immense complexity, great balance and extraordinary beauty."** —The Monthly Booking**"Sagasti’s careful contrapuntal construction weaves together an eclectic range of vignettes which transcend their parts, leaving an indelible emotional impact that defies rationalisation."** —Gutter Magazine**"I have gained knowledge I didn’t know I needed."** —Joyzine**"Fate could be likened to a pointillist painting by Seurat, with each dab of colour and each descriptive passage contributing to what is finally a beautifully structured and brilliantly shimmering whole."** —BookBlast**"The literary equivalent of a symphony."** —Books and Bao**"Sagasti manages to create a world rich in illuminations and philosophical reflections."** —Morning Star**** Republic of Consciousness Prize (Shortlist)"Una fascinante suite de historias sobre música, tanto escuchada como desconocida." —The Arts Desk**"Una interpretación hermosa y fragmentaria que siempre da con la nota precisa."** —Irish Times**"Una ofrenda musical no es tanto un intento de escribir sobre música sino una verdadera partitura que usa palabras como un nuevo tipo de notación.""** —Will Ashon**, autor de CHAMBER MUSIC y STRANGE LABYRINTH"I have gained knowledge I didn’t know I needed."** —Joyzine**"Sagasti logra crear un mundo rico en iluminaciones y reflexiones filosóficas."** —Morning Star**"El equivalente literario a una sinfonía."** —Books and Bao**"Un trabajo de inmensa complejidad, con un gran balance y una belleza extraordinaria."** —The Monthly Booking**"Fate could be likened to a pointillist painting by Seurat, with each dab of colour and each descriptive passage contributing to what is finally a beautifully structured and brilliantly shimmering whole."** —BookBlast**"La cuidadosa construcción a contrapunto de Sagasti entreteje una variedad de viñetas eclécticas que trascienden sus partes, dejando un impacto emocional indeleble que desafía la racionalización."** —Gutter Magazine**