There are plenty of Latino writers whose work flies under the radar and is valuable. The love sonnets of Neruda, the magical realism of Garcia Marquez and the urban immigrant narratives of Junot Diaz are known the world over.
Here are a handful of writers whose words have stuck in our minds and emotions. The list is always growing and changing. You can consider this the start of your summer reading list.
Reinaldo Arenas
Reinaldo Arenas lived a short life. However it was filled with a large body of work. Arenas, who was born in Aguas Claras, Cuba worked as a journalist, librarian and editor on various publications in Cuba. His own work which consisted of numerous novels, stories, essays and a biography. His writing often critiqued the communist government he lived under. His work (which was smuggled and published internationally) and openly gay lifestyle landed him in prison for several years before he fled the island during the Mariel Boatlift. His autobiography Before Night Falls was a New York Times book of the year and was later made into a film starring Javier Bardem.
First Book: El mundo alucinante
Last Book: Adios a mama