Best Translated Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 11 (2018) Winner
Rodrigo Fresán
ロドリゴ・フレサン
Rodrigo Fresán
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1963-01-01 （Buenos Aires, Argentina）
- Nationality
- Argentina
- Languages
- Spanish
- Residence History
- Buenos Aires, Argentina → Barcelona, Spain — since 1999
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Journalist
- Active Years
- 1991-
- Influenced By
- Philip K. Dick, Roberto Bolaño, Stanley Kubrick (film), The Twilight Zone (TV series)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Prix Roger Caillois | — | — | Prix Roger Caillois (organizers) | Winner |
| 2018 | Best Translated Book Award | La parte inventada (The Invented Part) | — | Best Translated Book Award (organizers) | Winner |
| 2025 | Big Other Book Award for Translation (2024) | Melvill | — | Big Other | Winner |
| 2025 | Republic of Consciousness USA & Canada (2024) | Melvill | — | Republic of Consciousness | Winner |
Prix Roger Caillois
2017
Organization:
Prix Roger Caillois (organizers)
Result:
Winner
Best Translated Book Award
2018
Work:
La parte inventada (The Invented Part)
Organization:
Best Translated Book Award (organizers)
Result:
Winner
Big Other Book Award for Translation (2024)
2025
Work:
Melvill
Organization:
Big Other
Result:
Winner
Republic of Consciousness USA & Canada (2024)
2025
Work:
Melvill
Organization:
Republic of Consciousness
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Historia Argentina
1991 FictionEarly work by Fresán combining elements of Argentine society and literary experimentation in short stories and fiction.
Argentine societyLiterary experimentation
Vidas de santos
1993 FictionA novel exploring human figures through religious motifs.
ReligionCharacter study
Trabajos Manuales
1994 FictionA mid-period work with experimental narration and form.
Formal experimentation
Esperanto
1995 FictionA work themed around language and communication.
LanguageCommunication
La velocidad de las cosas
1998 FictionA work that treats themes of speed, time, and change.
TimeChange
Mantra
2001 Fiction with science fiction influencesSet around Mexico City, a multilayered narrative influenced by science fiction novels, films, and television.
SF influencePop cultureMemory
Jardines de Kensington (Kensington Gardens)
2003 FictionA novel where memory, the city, and literary references intersect. English translation by Natasha Wimmer.
CityMemoryLiterary reference
El fondo del cielo (The Bottom of the Sky)
2009 FictionA book exploring memory and creation using cosmic imagery and metaphor.
MemoryCosmic imagery
La parte inventada (The Invented Part)
2014 Fiction / Autobiographical elementsQuestions the boundaries between invention and memory; part of a trilogy examining literature and life.
Invention vs. memoryMeta-literature
La parte soñada (The Dreamed Part)
2017 FictionPart of the trilogy focusing on dreams and imagination. Available in English translation.
DreamsImagination
La parte recordada (The Remembered Part)
2019 FictionConcluding volume of the trilogy centered on recollection. English translation available.
RecollectionMemory
Melvill
2022 FictionA complex novel weaving real figures and literary references; English translation published and acclaimed.
Literary referencesIdentity
El estilo de los elementos
2024 Essays / CriticismRecent essays/critical work including theoretical reflections on style and elements.
Style theoryCriticism
El Pequeño Gatsby: Apuntes para la teoría de una gran novela
2025 Essays / Literary theoryAn essay collection on theory of a 'great novel' (published 2025).
Literary theoryCriticism
Bibliography
- Historia Argentina (1991)
- Vidas de santos (1993)
- Trabajos Manuales (1994)
- Esperanto (1995)
- La velocidad de las cosas (1998)
- Mantra (2001)
- Jardines de Kensington (2003)
- El fondo del cielo (2009)
- La parte inventada (2014)
- La parte soñada (2017)
- La parte recordada (2019)
- Melvill (2022)
- El estilo de los elementos (2024)
- El Pequeño Gatsby: Apuntes para la teoría de una gran novela (2025)
Translations of Works
- Kensington Gardens — English translation by Natasha Wimmer (2006)
- The Bottom of the Sky (El fondo del cielo) — English translation by Will Vanderhyden (2018)
- The Invented Part (La parte inventada) — English translation by Will Vanderhyden (2017)
- The Dreamed Part (La parte soñada) — English translation by Will Vanderhyden (2019)
- The Remembered Part (La parte recordada) — English translation by Will Vanderhyden (2022)
- Melvill — English translation by Will Vanderhyden (2024)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- MetafictionalIntertextual, multilayered prose with many referencesGenre-mixing (SF, contemporary fiction, essays)
- Recurring Motifs
- MemoryReferences to literature and mediaCityscapesPop culture
Legacy
Fresán, an Argentine writer based in Barcelona, is internationally recognized for his metafictional works richly infused with pop-culture references. Several of his books have been translated into English and other languages, establishing him as a distinctive voice in contemporary Latin American literature.
Quotes
-
He's a kaleidoscopic, open-hearted, shamelessly polymathic storyteller, the kind who brings a blast of oxygen into the room.
Source: Jonathan Lethem (as cited on Wikipedia)
Trivia
- Has lived in Barcelona since 1999.
- Was a close friend of Roberto Bolaño.
- His books have been translated into many languages.