A compelling literary event centers on Brenda Navarro, a Mexican writer, sociologist, and economist whose career blends fiction with sharp social critique. The Center for Ibero-American Literature Studies (CeMaB) in collaboration with the MA in Literary Studies program presents Navarro as the featured speaker. She will discuss writing and life in relation to her acclaimed work Ceniza en la boca, delivering the lecture next Tuesday, April 12, at 5:30 PM. The venue is Campus CeMaB, located in the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters III. The dialogue will unfold with Ferran Rieso, a specialist in contemporary Latin American narrative, guiding the conversation and offering insightful context for readers and scholars.
The event will be offered in person with a live streaming option for remote audiences.
Brenda Navarro, born in Mexico City on February 26, 1982, has built a distinguished career as a writer, sociologist, and economist, with formal studies in sociology and economics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She later completed a master’s in Gender, Women and Citizenship Studies at the University of Barcelona, enriching her literary voice with rigorous social analysis and a deep commitment to human rights.
Navarro founded a literary venture that champions women’s voices across Latin America, aligning with a broader movement to diversify narratives. Her work spans fiction, screenwriting, journalism, and editing, and she has collaborated with several human rights NGOs. The author has contributed to economic and creative writing workshops, shaping a body of work that weighs social justice against personal and collective hardship. Ceniza en la boca and her other novels reflect a profound interest in memory, belonging, and the resilience required to navigate life amid inequality.
ash in the mouth
The novel follows the haunting image of a brother who plunges from a high floor, a moment that reverberates through his sister for years. The narrative centers on the two brothers and the family atmosphere that forms the backdrop for a life that never feels fair.
As the family grapples with migration and displacement, the lens widens to capture the tension between a mother seeking opportunities in Europe and the siblings growing up under one roof. Madrid becomes the setting for a journey marked by miscommunication, parting, and the weight of returning. The emotional arc traces the moment of loss and the long shadow it casts over those left behind, especially as the returned ashes invite a conflicted reckoning with memory and place.
Ceniza en la boca unfolds as a lyrical exploration of a young woman who confronts the reasons behind her younger brother’s suicide. The protagonist navigates a personal Ulysses syndrome, a path where departure and return both reveal and conceal destiny. Navarro’s storytelling delves into heartbreak and abandonment, longing and anger, as it tackles issues of inequality, xenophobia, and rootlessness. The novel is a fierce testament to the power of voice in confronting painful realities and asserting the value of life through difficult questions. Ceniza en la boca is a work of intensity and immediacy, a narrative that burns with honesty and invites readers to reflect on what makes life worth living.
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