We are thrilled to welcome Rodrigo Fresán as he discusses his newly translated novel, The Bottom of the Sky, with Rachel Cordasco of sfintranslation.com. Along with The Bottom of the Sky, Cordasco and Fresán will discuss his recently translated novel, The Invented Part, the influence of pop culture and science fiction on his work, how his novels create a world, his distaste for cell phones, and much more.
According to Enrique Vila-Matas, "The Bottom of the Sky is the book of the future, the book that begins to write itself when everything has ended: the story of two young people in love with planets, and of a disturbingly beautiful girl. Between Bioy Casares and Philip K. Dick, but with a voice all its own, it is both powerful and artistic.” Rodrigo Fresan is the author of ten works of fiction, including Kensington Gardens, Mantra, and The Invented Part. A self-professed “referential maniac,” his works incorporate many elements from science fiction (Philip K. Dick in particular) alongside pop culture and literary references. According to Jonathan Lethem, “he’s a kaleidoscopic, open-hearted, shamelessly polymathic storyteller, the kind who brings a blast of oxygen into the room.” In 2017, he received the Prix Roger Caillois awarded by PEN Club France every year to both a French and a Latin American writer.
Rachel Cordasco has a Ph.D in literary studies and currently works as a developmental editor. When she's not at her day job or chasing three kids, she's writing reviews and translating Italian speculative fiction. She runs the website sfintranslation.com, and can be found on Facebook and Twitter.
