Laia Jufresa grew up in the cloud forest of Veracruz, Mexico, where water came from a well and electricity had to be stolen from the nearby highway, and spent her adolescence in Paris. Aged 18 she moved to Mexico City and discovered she didn’t know how to cross a street. She’s been writing fiction ever since. 

She’s been named as one of the best young authors from Mexico (Mexico20) and from Latin America (Bogota39). Her debut novel, Umami, has been translated into nine languages and was a finalist for The Best Translated Book 2016, won the PEN Translates Award, and was voted as the Best First Novel in Spanish 2016 at the Festival for First Novels of Chambéry, France. Her work has appeared in newspapers (El País), TV (Netflix), radio (BBC), and magazines (McSweeney’s, Vogue, Words Without Borders, Pen Atlas). 

She lives and writes in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she also works as a creativity coach for writers, artists and self-employed people. Visit Laia's website.

Photo © Claudia Leal.