Awards

• Winner of PEN Translates 2019

Overview

"On March 10, 1920, in Pachuca, Mexico, the Compania de Santa Gertrudis - the largest employer in the region, and a subsidiary of the United States Smelting, Refining and Mining Company - may have committed murder. The alert was first raised at six in the morning: a fire was tearing through the El Bordo mine. After a brief evacuation, the mouths of the shafts were sealed. Company representatives hastened to assert that ""no more than ten"" men remained inside the mineshafts, and that all ten were most certainly dead. Yet when the mine was opened six days later, the death toll was not ten, but eighty-seven. And there were seven survivors. A century later, acclaimed novelist Yuri Herrera has reconstructed a workers' tragedy at once globally resonant and deeply personal: Pachuca is his hometown. His work is an act of restitution for the victims and their families, bringing his full force of evocation to bear on the injustices that suffocated this horrific event into silence."

Full Product Details

9781911508786

Table of Contents

Reviews

'A precise and devastating account that peers into the dark mouths of the El Bordo mine as if they were the gates of hell. In these pages, Yuri Herrera paints a portrait of poverty and neglect and reveals, once again, the way exploitation and abuse lurk 'like a silent fury' at the source of all violence.' Alia Trabucco Zeran ----'Herrera knows how to plot an intense plot and handle an original style, as capable of revealing a miserable and anguished social reality as well as elevating with poetry the humble and everyday life in order to reach symbolic proportions.' Arturo Garcia Ramos, ABC ---- 'What Yuri Herrera does is Literature, beyond genres or labels. He amply proves it again now, after five years of silence, with a fascinating story that reads like a novel.' Matias Nespolo, El Mundo ----'With his characteristic sharp prose and exciting rhythm, Herrera is one of the most remarkable writers of Latin America. The El Bordo Mine Fire is an impeccable exercise of journalism.' Jaime G. Mora, ABC Cultural

'A searing, painful, poetic, simple, extraordinary book about a 1920 mine disaster. Remembering Grenfell - do we learn?' Philippe Sands----'A precise and devastating account that peers into the dark mouths of the El Bordo mine as if they were the gates of hell. In these pages, Yuri Herrera paints a portrait of poverty and neglect and reveals, once again, the way exploitation and abuse lurk at the source of all violence.' Alia Trabucco Zeran, author of The Remainder----'A Silent Fury is a narrative rebellion against the archive of atrocity. Herrera subverts the archive, turns it against itself, upends its silencing mission and reveals within it the traces of corporate and governmental abuse, disregard and murder.' John Gibler, author of I Couldn't Even Imagine That They Would Kill Us ----'Like Life of a Klansman, Herrera's book is a microhistory inspired by an absence in the archives. But where Ball enriches the record with context and speculation, Herrera conducts a crisp, matter-of-fact investigation. In quietly seething prose-ably translated by Lisa Dillman-he parses the evasive accounts of contemporary journalists, judges, mine administrators, and civil authorities, noting the implications of each elision and discrepancy. By the end, the accident looks more like homicide, a crime quickly covered up by local officials and company bureaucrats who barely saw their workers as human . . . The book is a gripping demonstration of how much can be unearthed from the omissions of official accounts.' Julian Lucas, Harper's Magazine----'Herrera's quietly impassioned account has much to say to movements that now work to reclaim a buried past.' Boyd Tonkin, The i ----'At its heart, this is not a book about a mine or even a fire. It is about blame, and what powerful people do to make it disappear . . . This is a book that demands to be read.'Oliver Balch, The Spectator ----'Herrera knows how to plot an intense plot and handle an original style, as capable of revealing a miserable and anguished social reality as well as elevating with poetry the humble and everyday life in order to reach symbolic proportions.' Arturo Garcia Ramos, ABC----'What Yuri Herrera does is Literature, beyond genres or labels. He amply proves it again now, after five years of silence, with a fascinating story that reads like a novel.' Matias Nespolo, El Mundo ----'With his characteristic sharp prose and exciting rhythm, Herrera is one of the most remarkable writers of Latin America. The El Bordo Mine Fire is an impeccable exercise of journalism.' Jaime G. Mora, ABC Cultural ----'With his trio of books set in the narco-war borderlands, Herrera has shown that he's a master of the short, tense fiction, and with A Silent Fury, he proves it further, this time venturing into a more historical mode.' Remezcla----Booksellers on A Silent Fury ----'A plaque. A press release. A mislabeled photograph. Like a paleontologist drawing a beast from a jawbone, Herrera tells a story of greed, imperialism, and complicity from a few fragments of information. The El Bordo Mine Fire is just one almost forgotten tragedy but, like Rukeyser's Book of the Dead, the bright, poetic light Herrera shines on it with A Silent Fury, casting a shadow on our biggest questions.' Josh Cook, Porter Square Books ----'Yuri Herrera's slim and devastating A Silent Fury documents the mining tragedy in Pachuca in 1920 and the government and mining company's attempts to cover up the deaths. There is no more relevant time to read about workers' fights for safety and justice in their workplace.' Tom Flynn, Pilsen Community Books ----'Silence pervades this short book; that of the historical record; that of the the U.S. corporation that owned the mine; that of the survivors; and that of the dead. Herrera is haunted by the silence of the El Bordo mine fire,100 years after 87 miners died, and seeks to record the whispers of ghosts. In this, he is only partly successful, but by attempting to give voice to the silenced, hope is given breath.' Chapter Books ----'Yuri Herrera explores the history of century-old mine disaster in a small Mexican town. Due to the owner's influence, the historical record is dubious. Herrera's investigation raises important questions about how the callousness of the powerful can ensure that a callous history is all that survives them.' Keith Mosman, Powell's Books ----'Herrera gives voice to the story untold, to clarifying, devastating effect.' Molly Moore, Book People ----'A Silent Fury is an astonishing piece of journalism. The story is about the El Bordo mine fire in Pachuca, Mexico, and how, when capital comes before workers, lives are too often lost, and justice too long unserved. My favorite book from Herrera yet, and that is an incredibly high bar to reach.' Matt Keliher, Subtext ----'An astonishing combination of history, cultural anthropology, and journalism that sheds light on a previously forgotten mining disaster . . . and a good example of why we need more translated nonfiction.' Lesley Rains, City of Asylum Bookstore

'A precise and devastating account that peers into the dark mouths of the El Bordo mine as if they were the gates of hell. In these pages, Yuri Herrera paints a portrait of poverty and neglect and reveals, once again, the way exploitation and abuse lurk at the source of all violence.' Alia Trabucco Zeran, author of The Remainder ----'A Silent Fury is a narrative rebellion against the archive of atrocity. Herrera subverts the archive, turns it against itself, upends its silencing mission and reveals within it the traces of corporate and governmental abuse, disregard and murder.'John Gibler, author of I Couldn't Even Imagine That They Would Kill Us ----'Like Life of a Klansman, Herrera's book is a microhistory inspired by an absence in the archives. But where Ball enriches the record with context and speculation, Herrera conducts a crisp, matter-of-fact investigation. In quietly seething prose-ably translated by Lisa Dillman-he parses the evasive accounts of contemporary journalists, judges, mine administrators, and civil authorities, noting the implications of each elision and discrepancy. By the end, the accident looks more like homicide, a crime quickly covered up by local officials and company bureaucrats who barely saw their workers as human . . . The book is a gripping demonstration of how much can be unearthed from the omissions of official accounts.' Julian Lucas, Harpers Magazine ----'Herrera knows how to plot an intense plot and handle an original style, as capable of revealing a miserable and anguished social reality as well as elevating with poetry the humble and everyday life in order to reach symbolic proportions.' Arturo Garcia Ramos, ABC ----'What Yuri Herrera does is Literature, beyond genres or labels. He amply proves it again now, after five years of silence, with a fascinating story that reads like a novel.' Matias Nespolo, El Mundo ----'With his characteristic sharp prose and exciting rhythm, Herrera is one of the most remarkable writers of Latin America. The El Bordo Mine Fire is an impeccable exercise of journalism.' Jaime G. Mora, ABC Cultural ----'With his trio of books set in the narco-war borderlands, Herrera has shown that he's a master of the short, tense fiction, and with A Silent Fury, he proves it further, this time venturing into a more historical mode.' Remezcla ----Booksellers on A Silent Fury ----'A plaque. A press release. A mislabeled photograph. Like a paleontologist drawing a beast from a jawbone, Herrera tells a story of greed, imperialism, and complicity from a few fragments of information. The El Bordo Mine Fire is just one almost forgotten tragedy but, like Rukeyser's Book of the Dead, the bright, poetic light Herrera shines on it with A Silent Fury, casting a shadow on our biggest questions.' Josh Cook, Porter Square Books ----'Yuri Herrera's slim and devastating A Silent Fury documents the mining tragedy in Pachuca in 1920 and the government and mining company's attempts to cover up the deaths. There is no more relevant time to read about workers' fights for safety and justice in their workplace.' Tom Flynn, Pilsen Community Books ----'Silence pervades this short book; that of the historical record; that of the the U.S. corporation that owned the mine; that of the survivors; and that of the dead. Herrera is haunted by the silence of the El Bordo mine fire,100 years after 87 miners died, and seeks to record the whispers of ghosts. In this, he is only partly successful, but by attempting to give voice to the silenced, hope is given breath.' Chapter Books ----'Yuri Herrera explores the history of century-old mine disaster in a small Mexican town. Due to the owner's influence, the historical record is dubious. Herrera's investigation raises important questions about how the callousness of the powerful can ensure that a callous history is all that survives them.' Keith Mosman, Powell's Books, Portland ----'Herrera gives voice to the story untold, to clarifying, devastating effect.' Molly, Book People ----'A Silent Fury is an astonishing piece of journalism. The story is about the El Bordo mine fire in Pachuca, Mexico, and how, when capital comes before workers, lives are too often lost, and justice too long unserved. My favorite book from Herrera yet, and that is an incredibly high bar to reach.' Matt Keliher, Subtext

Author Information

Yuri Herrera studied Politics in Mexico, Creative Writing in El Paso and took his PhD in literature at Berkeley. His first novel to appear in English, Signs Preceding the End of the World, won the 2016 Best Translated Book Award after publishing to great critical acclaim in 2015, when it featured on many Best-of-Year lists, including The Guardian's Best Fiction and NBC News's Ten Great Latino Books. His second novel The Transmigration of Bodies (2016 in English) and Kingdom Cons (2017 in English) were also published to acclaim, including the Dublin Literary Award (former Impac prize) shortlisting of The Transmigration of Bodies. He currently teaches at the University of Tulane, in New Orleans. The El Bordo Mine Fire is his fourth book, and his first of non-fiction. Lisa Dillman has translated a number of Spanish and Latin American writers. Some of her recent translations include Rain Over Madrid, Such Small Hands and The Right Intention by Andrs Barba and Yuri Herrera's three novels. She won the 2016 Best Translated Book Award for Herrera's Signs Preceding the End of the World. She teaches in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available