This month’s issue brings twelve writers from Colombia working across three genres: fiction, poetry, and journalism. The writers here capture the past and present of a country remaking itself and its history after a 2016 peace deal ended the armed conflict between the Colombian state and the FARC. Silvana Paternostro embarks on a journey of rediscovery as a tourist to her own country and reflects on the new possibilities now open to writers who once felt compelled to address the war. Giuseppe Caputo brings us a story of the love between a father and son in the midst of poverty, and also a reflection on violence and homosexuality. Melba Escobar’s narrator rages against Bogotá’s elite and Juan Gabriel Vásquez writes a tale of chance and tragedy. Alfredo Molano interviews one of the founders of the FARC. Yolanda Reyes looks at the relationship between a mother and her adopted son, and Gilmer Mesa’s protagonists bond over salsa music before their friendship comes to an unexpected end. Juan Álvarez’s narrator explains why he couldn’t help punching his uncle in the face, and Óscar Collazos examines the bond between two brothers in a tale of youthful rebellion and unholy acts. Poets Piedad Bonnett, Vito Apushana, and Fredy Chicangana lend their verse. WWB editor Eric M. B. Becker discusses the unique historical moment in which these writers now reach English language readers.
