Human Matter: A Fiction (Latin American Literature in Translation)

In this provocative novel from an award-winning Guatemalan storyteller, a fiction writer dangerously delves into the long-buried National Police archive, exposing the legacies of systematic brutality and resistance. More than a decade ago, novelist Rodrigo Rey Rosa made his first visit to the Historical Archive of the Guatemala National Police, where millions of previously hidden records were being cataloged, scanned, and eventually published online. Bringing to light detailed evidence of crimes against humanity, the Archive Recovery Project inspired Rey Rosa to craft a meta-novel that weaves the language of arrest records and surveillance reports with the contemporary journal entries of a novelist (named Rodrigo) who is attempting to synthesize the stories of political activists, indigenous people, and other women and men who became ensnared in a deadly web of state-sponsored terrorism. When Rodrigo's access to the archive is suspended, he proceeds to the General Archives of Central America and the Library of Congress, also collaborating with the son of the Identification Bureau's former head in a relentless pursuit of understanding. Reminiscent of Roberto Bolaño's finely honed masterworks, Human Matter is both a tour de force of fiction and a sobering meditation on the realities of collective memory, raising timely questions about how our history is recorded and retold. Originally published in Spanish in 2009, its success demanded a subsequent publication in June of 2017. This prizewinning Guatemalan author’s meta-novel delves into the secret police records and history of political violence in his homeland. In 2005, novelist Rodrigo Rey Rosa started visiting the Historical Archive of the Guatemala National Police, where millions of previously hidden records were being cataloged, bringing to light detailed evidence of crimes against humanity. In response, Rey Rosa crafted a meta-novel that weaves the language of arrest records and surveillance reports with the contemporary journal entries of a novelist (named Rodrigo) who is attempting to synthesize the stories of political activists, indigenous people, and others ensnared in a deadly web of state-sponsored terrorism. When Rodrigo’s access to the archive is suspended, he proceeds to the General Archives of Central America and the Library of Congress, also collaborating with the son of the Identification Bureau's former head in a relentless pursuit of understanding. Human Matter is both a tour de force of fiction and a sobering meditation on the realities of collective memory, raising timely questions about how our history is recorded and retold. First Notebook : Modo & Modo -- Second Notebook : Black Binding -- Pages Attached To The Second Notebook -- First Sketchbook : Green Cover With Indian Motifs -- Pages Attached To The First Notebook -- Third Notebook : White Cover -- Second Sketchbook : Don Quixote -- Fourth Notebook : Red And Blue Stripes On A White Background -- Pages Attached To The Fourth Notebook -- Third Sketchbook : Scribe -- Fourth Sketchbook : Leather Cover, No Branding, No Name -- Fifth Sketchbook : Spanish Binding. Rodrigo Rey Rosa ; Translated By Eduardo Aparicio. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.