World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

César Aira

セサル・アイラ

César Aira

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1949-02-23 （Coronel Pringles, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina）
Nationality
Argentina
Languages
Spanish, English (used in translation contexts)
Residence History
Flores, Buenos Aires

Career

Occupations
novelist, short story writer, essayist, translator, literary critic
Active Years
1975-
Influenced By
Copi, Alejandra Pizarnik, Edward Lear, Stéphane Mallarmé
Influenced
Various contemporary Latin American writers

Awards

Konex Award (translation)
1994
Category: 翻訳
Organization: Konex Foundation
Result: 受賞
Konex Award (novel)
2004
Category: 小説
Organization: Konex Foundation
Result: 受賞
Prix Roger Caillois
2014
Organization: Maison de l'Amérique Latine (and related bodies)
Result: 受賞
Neustadt International Prize for Literature (finalist)
2014
Organization: The Neustadt Prizes
Result: ファイナリスト
Man Booker International Prize (finalist)
2015
Organization: The Man Booker Prize
Result: ファイナリスト
America Awards
2016
Organization: America Awards
Result: 受賞
Manuel Rojas Ibero-American Narrative Award
2016
Organization: Manuel Rojas Foundation
Result: 受賞
Prix Formentor
2021
Organization: Formentor Prize organizers
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Hare

1991 Novel (historical/experimental)

A short novel intertwining 19th-century Argentine society and personal history; showcases Aira's approach to historical themes and experimental narration.

historyironymemory
Translations
  • English translation: The Hare (trans. Nick Caistor)

How I Became a Nun

1993 Novel (with autobiographical elements)

Draws on childhood experiences and hometown; uses humor and self-mockery to portray place and self.

childhoodhometownself-awareness
Translations
  • English translation: How I Became a Nun (trans. Chris Andrews)

The Proof

1992 Novella

A short, tightly constructed novella; its opening served as the point of departure for a film adaptation.

intersection of reality and fictioncontingency
Adaptations
  • [Film] Tan de repente (Suddenly) / Diego Lerman (2002)
Translations
  • English translation: The Proof (trans. Nick Caistor)

Bibliography

  • Moreira (1975)
  • Ema, la cautiva (1981) / Ema the Captive
  • La liebre (1991) / The Hare
  • Cómo me hice monja (1993) / How I Became a Nun
  • An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter (2000)
  • Numerous short books of stories, essays and novellas (since the 1970s)

Adaptations

  • La prueba → film 'Tan de repente' (director: Diego Lerman, 2002)

Translations of Works

  • La liebre → English: The Hare (trans. Nick Caistor)
  • Cómo me hice monja → English: How I Became a Nun (trans. Chris Andrews)
  • Un episodio en la vida del pintor viajero → English: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter (trans. Chris Andrews)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Highly improvisational 'flight forward' techniqueGenre-blending and abrupt narrative shiftsConcise, witty narrative voice
Recurring Motifs
childhood and return to hometowntravel and wanderingmixing of history and fictionfantastic / surreal elements

Legacy

César Aira is known for his prolific output of short books and novellas and for introducing an experimental, fast-paced narrative approach to contemporary Latin American literature. His translations and prizes have given him wide international influence.

Archives

  • Library of Congress audio literary archive (recorded 15 March 2015)

In Popular Culture

  • The short novella 'La prueba' served as the point of departure for the film 'Tan de repente'

Quotes

  • My ideal is the fairy tale.
    Source: Interview (Louisiana Channel video interview) (2013)

Trivia

  • Since the 1990s he has published prolifically—often 2–5 novella-length books per year.
  • His wife, Liliana Ponce, is a poet and scholar of Japanese literature.