Episode 263 with Fernanda Trias, Author of Mugre Rosa/Pink Slime, and Acute and Detail-Oriented World Builder and Creator of Thought-Provoking Fiction

Notes and Links to Fernanda Trías’ Work

   Fernanda Trías was born in Uruguay and is the award-winning author of three novels, two of which have been published in English. She is also the author of the short story collection No soñarás flores and the chapbook El regreso. A writer and instructor of creative writing, she holds an MFA in creative writing from New York University. She was awarded the National Uruguayan Literature Prize, The Critics’ Choice Award Bartolomé Hidalgo, and the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz International Prize in Mexico for her novel Pink Slime. Both The Rooftop and Pink Slime were awarded the British PEN Translates Award, and Pink Slime was chosen by The New York Times in Spanish as one of the ten best books of 2020. Translation rights for her work have been sold in fifteen languages. She currently lives in Bogotá, Colombia, where she is a teacher at the creative writing MFA program of Instituto Caro y Cuervo. In 2017, she was selected as Writer-in-Residence at the Casa de Velázquez in Madrid, where she started writing her latest novel, Pink Slime.

Buy Pink Slime

 

Fernanda Trias' Publisher Page for Simon and Schuster

 

Review of Pink Slime from Reactor Mag

At about 2:00, Pete and Fernanda discuss the book’s Spanish and English titles and different subtleties of each; Fernanda details how she decided to title the book as she dd

At about 3:20, Annie McDermott, Episode 91 and Mario Levrero shout outs!

At about 4:00, Fernanda discusses her reading life growing up, the ways in which better translations slowly came to Uruguay, and reading 

At about 6:45, Fernanda talks about respect for Garcia Marquez, though not being a huge fan, and cites Juan Rulfo as “perfección”

At about 8:15, Pete expands on a Rulfo favorite of his, “No Oyes Ladrar los Perros,” and Fernanda expands on her love of Rulfo’s Pedro Paramo 

At about 10:05, Fernanda talks about favorite contemporary authors, like Herta Muller and Olga Tokarczuk 

At about 12:00, Pete shouts out Jennifer Croft, and Fernanda responds to Pete’s questions about why there is such a affinity for Eastern European writing in Latin América, and she specifies the Río Plata region as connected 

At about 14:55, Fernanda describes her familial connections to Europe-particularly Italy and Spain

At about 17:15, Fernanda responds to Pete’s question about seeds for her writing life

At about 19:05, Fernanda references The Stranger and El Lugar by Levrero as chill-inducing books

At about 21:30, Pete is complimentary of Fernanda’s worldbuilding, and she expands on what she loves about it

At about 23:00, Pete and Fernanda discuss translation in her book, especially of colloquialisms like “ni fu ni fa”

At about 26:25, Fernanda responds to Pete’s question about climate change and other stimuli for Mugre Rosa/Pink Slime

At about 28:50, Pete mentions the book’s interesting dialogues that complement the action, and Fernanda expands on the evolving dialogues  

At about 30:50, Fernanda talks about the book’s opening and the “first image” in her mind of a foggy port that creates an ambience for the book

At about 33:45, Pete shares laudatory blurbs for the book, especially about the book’s “envelop[ing]” world built by Fernanda

At about 34:25, Fernanda describes the book’s opening, including a pivotal scene involving a possible last fish

At about 37:05, Pete wonders about nostalgia, and Fernanda talks about her interest and lack of interest in certain ideas of what has been lost 

At about 39:40, Fernanda discusses the relationship between the narrator and Max and its significance in the novel, especially in charting changes in the narrator as the book continues

At about 44:20, Pete points out a funny saying/joke from the book and Fernanda outlines her conversations with Heather Cleary in the translating of the joke

At about 46:05, The two discuss “surrendering and letting go” and connections to the novel and specifically, the narrator and Max’s relationship 

At about 47:30, Pete lays out some basics on the relationships between the narrator and her mother, as well as her work situation with Mauro; Fernanda talks about how Covid’s social dynamics have mirrored so many parts of her novel and the ways in which the rich were able to move to safety   

At about 51:45, the two discuss the differing relationships between the narrator’s two mother figure-Fernanda talks about the key questions of “What is a mother?”

At about 55:50, Fernanda and Pete discuss Mauro and his health condition and his memories of the time outlined in the book

At about 58:00, Pete and Fernanda reflect on ideas of community and if there is optimism/hope that comes with the book 

At about 1:01:50, The two discuss ideas of systems and individuals’ culpability 

At about 1:04:00, Fernanda gives social media info, and places to buy her book

 

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    Please tune in for Episode 264 with Maggie Sheffer. She is Professor of Practice at Tulane University, where she teaches courses in design thinking and speculative fiction as tools for social change. She is a founding member of Third Lantern Lit, a local writing collective, and her debut short story collection, The Man in the Banana Trees, was selected by judge Jamil Jan Kochai for the Iowa Short Fiction Award, and is published as of November 5.

   The episode airs on December 3.

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