Miguel Ángel Asturias (1899-1974) was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1967. A poet, diplomat and novelist from Guatemala, he studied law in his home country before continuing his studies in Paris, where he encountered the surrealist writings that would deeply influence his work. In addition to being a prolific writer, he worked as a newspaper correspondent in western Europe and later as an ambassador for Guatemala in Europe and Latin America. He wrote numerous works of fiction, poetry, drama and essays, including the novels Mr. President and Men of Maize.
David Johnson Lee is a scholar of Central American history and culture and translator of poetry and fiction from Spanish and Maya languages. His translations and analysis of Humberto Ak'abal's poems from K'iche' Maya appear in the essay "Ri ubix ulew: Translating Humberto Ak’abal Between Languages and Worlds" in Volume 126, Issue 1 of the journal Translation Review, and the translations are featured in the 2026 Sant Jordi poetry festival. His translation of Ak'abal's Testimonio de un indio k'iche will be released by Bloomsbury Publishing next year.
Miguel Ángel Asturias (1899-1974) was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1967. A poet, diplomat and novelist from Guatemala, he studied law in his home country before continuing his studies in Paris, where he encountered the surrealist writings that would deeply influence his work. In addit...