Mayra Santos-Febres – författare

From internationally-acclaimed novelist Mayra Santos-Febres comes a carnal, epic novel about the life of Isabel "La Negra" Luberza--a legendary Puerto Rican madam who, by the end of World War II, became the most powerful woman on the island.Born into poverty and then abandoned by her mother, Isabel "La Negra" Luberza blossoms into a supremely sensual young woman. Obsessed with attaining aristocratic status—armed with incredible physical presence, indomitable ambition, and keen intelligence—she meets Fernando Fornarís, the man who will forever change her life. With a parcel of land given to her by her rich, white married lover, Isabel transforms herself into a hard-edged and merciless businesswoman—abandoning her own newborn son to become Puerto Rico''s most feared and respected madam, a collector of society''s secrets, a queen of the notorious brothel that emerges as the island''s true political and economic heart.Set against the rich backdrop of the Caribbean and the United States during the tumultuous years of World War II, Mayra Santos-Febres''s Our Lady of the Night is a breathtaking novel of passion, power, and the devastating price of achieving everything one wishes for.

Somewhere between the Blue Angel and Kiss of the Spider Woman rises the legend of Sirena Selena, diva-siren of the Carribbean whose voice seduces and torments whomever dares listen. Discovered by Martha Divine in the backstreets of San Juan, drugged out of his mind, piking over rubbish with a singing voice that transfixes the listener, a fifteen-year-old hustler is transformed into Sirena Selena, a diva whose uncanny beauty and irresistible voice will be their ticket to fame and fortune.

Faith in Disguise follows Martín Tirado, a white Puerto Rican digital historian and research assistant to Fe Verdejo, an Afro-Venezuelan scholar curating an exhibition in Chicago on enslaved and freed Black women in Latin America. As Martín becomes increasingly enmeshed in Fe’s intellectual and erotic orbit, his role as subordinate and interpreter exposes the entanglement of race, power, and desire in the production of historical knowledge. Through the interplay of archival fragments and contemporary encounters, Mayra Santos-Febres illuminates how the afterlives of slavery persist within Latin American racial and sexual imaginaries, and how the erotic, as both method and experience, may gesture toward forms of liberation from them.

Faith in Disguise follows Martín Tirado, a white Puerto Rican digital historian and research assistant to Fe Verdejo, an Afro-Venezuelan scholar curating an exhibition in Chicago on enslaved and freed Black women in Latin America. As Martín becomes increasingly enmeshed in Fe’s intellectual and erotic orbit, his role as subordinate and interpreter exposes the entanglement of race, power, and desire in the production of historical knowledge. Through the interplay of archival fragments and contemporary encounters, Mayra Santos-Febres illuminates how the afterlives of slavery persist within Latin American racial and sexual imaginaries, and how the erotic, as both method and experience, may gesture toward forms of liberation from them.

"Santos-Febres and 13 other contributors of Puerto Rican heritage take full advantage of San Juan’s wide range of disparities between rich and poor, weak and powerful, tourists and residents, in this fine addition to Akashic’s noir anthology series."--Publishers Weekly"A welcomed addition to the publisher's popular noir series, San Juan Noir has the distinction of being issued in two editions, English and Spanish, to more accurately reflect the Caribbean island's bilingual culture. Editor Santos-Febres gathers a varied collection of stories she expects will 'reveal a side of Puerto Rico otherwise obscured by the tourist trade and preconception.'"-- NBC News Latino"The stories within San Juan Noir stare right into the face of colonialism as they examine the gaps between the city's rich and its poor, its residents and its constant flow of tourists, its colorful exterior and its gritty underbelly. This is noir with a bite, noir that enthralls with its dark tales even as it challenges the reader--do better, do better, do better."--Literary Hub"From the interiors of sleazy bars or chic resort hotels, shabby apartments and in open streets and avenues with no escape, the tales of San Juan Noir trace the doomed routes of their victims and villains with an acute social and tragic awareness. These journeys keep the reader transfixed and understanding this Caribbean city in entirely new ways."--InsightsAkashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book.Brand-new stories by: Wilfredo J. Burgos Matos, Ernesto Quiñonez, Mayra Santos-Febres, José Rabelo, Luis Negrón, Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro, Ana María Fuster Lavín, Janette Becerra, Manolo Núñez Negrón, Tere Dávila, Edmaris Carazo, Alejandro Álvarez Nieves, Charlie Vázquez, and Manuel A. Meléndez. Translated by Will Vanderhyden.From the introduction by Mayra Santos-Febres:"Puerto Rico is often portrayed as sandy beaches, casinos, luxury hotels, relaxation, and never-ending pleasure--a place that satisfies all senses and appetites.Yet the city of San Juan is much more than that. The capital of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is the oldest Spanish settlement in all the territories and colonies of the United States. Since Puerto Rico is economically dependent on the US, the financial downturn of 2008 hit us hard. Many Puerto Ricans have left the island, looking for a better life. Crime has risen and the black market has thrived. As in many crises, art, music, and literature have also flourished. Never before has there been so much literary production. We have responded to our crisis with many stories to tell. And, especially in these times, many of those stories are noir...I hope these stories spark your imagination, and reveal a side of Puerto Rico otherwise obscured by the tourist trade and preconceptions. Maybe it will also pique your curiosity, and you will come visit our 'pearl of the Caribbean.'"

LECCIONES DE RENUNCIA explora la relación de la mujer con el lenguaje y el conocimiento. Cada poema se enfoca en las aparentes contradicciones y conflictos que emergen cuando cuerpo, lenguaje y marginalizaciones institucionales ubican al sujeto "mujer" en una eterna contradicción entre "los deberes propios de su sexo" y la producción de saberes alternos, de cosmovisiones "distintas". La biopolítica y el control de la información, los saberes y los cuerpos es tema central de este poemario.Lecciones de renuncia propone también un paseo por la historia, deteniéndose en lo que conocemos de las vidas de mujeres letradas. Rosalie Elsie Franklin, científica que descubrió el ADN; Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, la monja barroca; Saartjie Baartman, mejor conocida como la Venus Hotentote; la poeta y periodista Julia de Burgos, entre otras, son revisitadas en estas páginas que buscan dar voz y examinar el tan pertinente asunto de la maternidad, el silencio femenino, las maneras en que la construcción del género cambia a través de la historia, los asuntos de la escritura y la generación de conocimiento humano.En estos momentos históricos en que las mujeres de todo el planeta exigen respeto, el fin del control de sus cuerpos y la posibilidad de vivir en dignidad e inclusión social, este poemario agrega a consideración la gran pregunta acerca de desde qué lugares socialmente validados se produce literatura y conocimiento.

Durante siglos el mundo entró y salió a través del Caribe, esa región profusa capaz de agitar la Historia y levantarla como huracán. Esa fuerza, hoy más que nunca, se ha consolidado en Puerto Rico, donde abunda una semilla endémica de literatura disruptiva, contemporánea e incisiva. En esta selección, hecha por Mara Pastor, hay autores/as que escriben desde su propia isla, o desde la diáspora, de diferentes generaciones, hay obra previamente publicada o inédita, voces queer, textos policiacos, de ciencia ficción y prosa poética. Este libro transpira un pedazo de la fascinante pluralidad literaria de Puerto Rico, cuyo momento prolífico no puede dejarse pasar.