TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED BY FOUNDRY EDITIONS, 2024

In a residential development in the middle of the nowhere, one of the many that were built in Spain, but never finished because of the crash, a small community of neighbours is trying to lead a normal life, despite living far from everything. Beyond the development that promised every luxury, beyond the streets leading nowhere, behind a high metal fence, the unfinished houses menace the inhabitants as they become occupied by people on the fringes of society whom the crash has destroyed.

Rosa Ribas’ unnamed protagonists come from different sides of this fence. The atmospheric, disturbing, and addictive story of their growing relationship is half quirky love story half strong commentary on how easily and quickly people can fall through the cracks of society.  Although the message is entirely universal, the context is deliciously and uniquely Spanish. 

ROSA RIBAS was born in El Prat de Llobregat in 1963. She has a degree in Hispanic Philology from the University of Barcelona, and spent time in Frankfurt at the Goethe University and the Instituto Cervantes. She now lives and works in Barcelona again and the city plays a big role in her writing. Rosa is widely considered one of the queens of Spanish noir, achieving critical and commercial success in Spain with her Dark Years Trilogy (Siruela) and her Hernández trilogy (Tusquets). Far is her first foray away from crime fiction, into a more menacing social commentary. It is her first book to be translated into English.

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED BY LEGEND TIMES/HERO PRESS, 2023

The Seaweed Revolution: How Seaweed Has Shaped Our Past and Can Save Our Future

Thrust by the sea onto our shores, seaweed is a nuisance that our earthly pollution transforms into a red or green tide. Today, overpopulation and the ecological crisis oblige us to think about it. The most recent research tells us that seaweed is one possible solution for our future on the planet.

There exist approximately 12,000 types of macroalgae, and that's without counting the thousands of microalgae. Seaweed develops everywhere, from the eternal glaciers to lagoons heated by the sun, from seas saturated with salt to the fresh water of our rivers. How many varieties do we know how to cultivate? A few dozen, at the most. The time has come to enter the ocean civilization. Seaweed is a fundamental link. If there were no seaweed, there would be no crustaceans, nor fish. The ocean would be a desert without carbon or oxygen. And at least half of our oxygen comes from the oceans.

Seaweed could feed human beings, reduce plastic pollution, absorb enough carbon to cool the atmosphere, reconstruct generative ecosystems, treat certain illnesses that are incurable today, replace land livestock farming that exhausts the environment, and give jobs to coastal populations. The seaweed revolution is a hope for tomorrow!

About the author (2023)

Vincent Doumeizel is Senior Adviser on the oceans to the United Nations Global Compact as well as director of the Food Programme at the Lloyd's Register Foundation. Vincent leads the charitable objectives of the Foundation through the funding of innovative projects to drive safety in the food supply chain. Partnering with UN, FAO, The World Bank, WWF, Universities, NGO's and large brands, Vincent led and released the "Seaweed Manifesto" in a call to scale up the seaweed industry in order to address some of the world most important challenges (hunger, global warming, pollution, poverty).

PRE-ORDER released 25 April 2023:

TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH BY ISABEL ADEY AND CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED BY EUROPA EDITIONS UK, NOVEMBER 2022

A masterful novel exploring womanhood, and the ties of a middle-class, traditional life in 1970s Colombia.

“One of the hundred most influential women in the history of Colombia.”—Cromos magazine

From her home in Paris, Lina recalls the story of three women whose lives unfold in the conservative city of Barranquilla in Colombia. Amongst parties at the Country Club and strolls along the promenade in Puerto Colombia, unfurls a story of sensuality supressed by violence; a narrative of oppression in which Dora, Catalina and Beatriz are victims of a patriarchal system living in and among the fragile threads of the fabric of society. 

In Lina’s obsessive recounting of the past, this masterful novel transforms anecdotes of a life into an absolute view of the world, a profound panorama of Colombian society towards the end of the 70s.

Written from personal memories and historical research, this is a novel that is both precise and poetic, a novel that immortalises—from the distant perspective of its narrator—the events that took place in a small seaside town.

Distancing herself from her contemporaries of the Latin-American literary boom with a boldly feminist narrative, Marvel Moreno has created a world that both mirrors the close-up, private lives of the people of Barranquilla and the human condition itself.

Marvel Moreno
Marvel Moreno was born in Colombia, in 1939. As a teenager she read the great writers, including Virginia Woolf and William Faulkner, who came to bear a definitive influence upon her writing. She had a close relationship with the members of the “Barranquilla Group” including Gabriel García Márquez. December Breeze was a finalist in the Plaza y Janés International Literary Prize and in 1989 she received the Grinzane-Cavour Prize. She died in 1995.

TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED BY CHARCO PRESS 2020 |

PEN TRANSLATES AWARD WINNER 2019

From internationally acclaimed Colombian author Margarita García Robayo, and following the success of Fish Soup (selected by the TLS as one of the Best Books of the Year, 2018), comes her latest novel Holiday Heart. ‘An intense novel dealing with migration, the end of love, tradition and the passing of time’ says acclaimed author Jorge Carrión,.

Lucía and Pablo are a couple, they are also school teachers who left Colombia to make a living in the US. While Pablo keeps fond memories of his motherland and a close relationship with his family, Lucía rejects all notions of patriotism, nostalgia and sense of belonging. After struggling to conceive for a long time, Lucía finally gets pregnant with twins. Zealously looking after them, she excludes her husband from this new family life. Hurt and frustrated, Pablo attempts to boost his ego through dispassionate affairs with underage students. While he works on his novel, Lucía writes a feminist column for a magazine picking apart marriage, motherhood and all things related to being a middle-class woman. After one of his affairs comes to light, Lucía takes the kids to Florida while Pablo remains in their empty home thinking about all the time they’ve shared: petty fights, selfish decisions, unkind words. While being apart, they both begin to wonder whether perhaps their love has come to an irreparable end.

TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED BY CHARCO PRESS, 2018 | SHORTLISTED FOR THE PREMIO VALLE INCLÁN 2019

From internationally acclaimed author Margarita García Robayo comes Fish Soup, a unique collection comprising two novellas plus the book of short stories Worse Things (winner of the prestigious Casa de las Américas Prize).

Set on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, Waiting for a Hurricane follows a girl obsessed with escaping both her life and her country. Emotionally detached from her family, and disillusioned with what the future holds if she remains, she takes ever more drastic steps in order to achieve her goal, seemingly oblivious to the damage she is causing both to herself and to those around her.

The tales of Worse Things provide snapshots of lives in turmoil, frayed relationships, dreams of escape, family taboos, and rejection both of and by society. Skilfully painting just enough detail, García Robayo explores these themes and invites the reader to unravel the true significance of the events depicted.

The previously unpublished Sexual Education examines the attempts of a student to tally the strict doctrine of abstinence taught at her school with the very different moral norms that prevail in her social circles. Semi-autobiographical, the frank depiction of these opposing pressures makes it impossible to remain a dispassionate observer.

Throughout the collection, García Robayo’s signature style blends cynicism and beauty with an undercurrent of dark humour. The prose is at once blunt and poetic as she delves into the lives of her characters, who simultaneously evoke sympathy and revulsion, challenging the reader’s loyalties as they immerse themselves in the unparalleled universe that is Fish Soup.

TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED BY DEEP VELLUM, 2018

With sensuous imagery and musical cadence, renowned Oulipian Eduardo Berti conjures an exquisite, star-crossed love story in pre-revolutionary China. The desires of a young girl, visited in her dreams by her grandmother’s ghost, clash with the strict expectations of her parents, exploring the delicate balance between modernity and tradition, mysticism and memory.

“One of the most original and talented novelists writing in Spanish today.” — Alberto Manguel

TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED BY CHARCO PRESS, 2017

In a nameless suburb in an equally nameless country, every house has a room reserved for the president. No one knows when or why this came to be. It’s simply how things are, and no one seems to question it except for one young boy.

The room is kept clean and tidy, nobody talks about it and nobody is allowed to use it. It is for the president and no one else. But what if he doesn’t come? And what if he does? As events unfold, the reader is kept in the dark about what’s really going on. So much so, in fact, that we begin to wonder if even the narrator can be trusted . . .

Ricardo Romero has been compared to Kafka and Italo Calvino, and we see why in this eerie, meditative novel narrated by a shy young boy who seems to be very good at lying about the truth. Following in the footsteps of Julio Cortázar and a certain literary tradition of sinister rooms (such as Dr Jekyll’s laboratory), The President’s Room is a mysterious tale based on the suspicion that a house is never just one single home.

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED BY WORLD EDITIONS, 2016 | PEN TRANSLATES AWARD WINNER 2015

Tehran, 1983. Six-year-old Abnousse Shalmani rebels for the first time against the Ayatollah Khomeini by running naked through the school playground. Frank, provocative, intelligent, and lively: this is a woman who refuses to be veiled or silenced. Leaving Iran is the only option for her family: but once in exile, she soon discovers that Paris has its very own ‘Beards’ and ‘Crows’ to deal with. Following the publication of Salman Rushdie´s Satanic Verses the veil is at the centre of all debates. Reading is her rebellion, and as she grows up, she ardently pursues her freedom through French literature, empowered by the writings of the Marquis de Sade. Freedom comes with recognising the power of the written word. From Colette to Victor Hugo, from Simone de Beauvoir to Pierre Louÿs, this is an extraordinary book about books, a story of resistance to oppression, and a passionate call for the right to sexual and intellectual freedom.

‘Khomeini, Sade and Me is pure combat literature which, in the name of enlightenment and joy, overthrows old moral dictates with big, bold laughter and decisively places the female body at the heart of public space.’—Le Monde

‘Beautiful and powerful. The style of writing, by turns modern and classic, will strongly appeal to literature lovers. Indeed, anyone who is astonished at the status of women in Islam (and within religion in general) should read this fictionalized memoir immediately.’—Parutions

TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED BY WORLD EDITIONS, 2016

Muna, a young Indian orphan, is working in a carpet factory in Bombay. She cannot forget about her sister Sita, from whom she was separated. Sita, who lives in an orphanage in the same city, doesn’t remember her older sister and dreams about having a real family and finding happiness. Meanwhile, eight-year-old Solomon lives in Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia. When the revolution breaks out, he is sent to Cuba by boat on his own, together with hundreds of other orphan children, in the hope of education and better future.
After many detours across three continents, Muna, Sita and Solomon each finally find their purpose in life and the family they’ve all longed for.

'This book achieves a remarkable connection between the reader and the novel: we are drawn in completely.'—Le Monde

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE & ANNETTE DAVID | PUBLISHED BY PHAIDON, 2015

A new title in the fascinating series from world-renowned cinema magazine Cahiers du cinéma, which focuses on ten key performances from a single actor. Once a teen idol, Johnny Depp (b. 1963) has led an incredibly diverse career, playing eccentric characters in now-classics like Edward Scissorhands, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Pirates of the Caribbean and Alice in Wonderland. An accessible text combines both a narrative and analytical dimension and is illustrated by 300 film stills, set photographs and film sequences.

TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED BY BABELCUBE, 2014

Second expanded edition of this simple step-by-step guide to publishing an eBook without dying in the attempt and how to avoid the typical beginner’s mistakes. Full of tips, resources, software recommendations and above all the experience and advice of many “indie” authors currently enjoying eBook success, such as Blanca Miosi, Bruno Nievas, Enrique Laso, Gabri Ródenas, Lidia Herbada, Blas Ruiz Grau, Roberto Lopez-Herrero, Largo Javariega and others.

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED BY SCRIBO, 2011

Louise and Benjamin set sail for Veracruz on board Red Mary’s ship, the Capricious, on a mission to rescue their father, Captain Roc, from prison, but what does Mary really have in mind? The young twins had better stay alert! A crucial turning point in the series, this installment sees the twins finally come face to face with Captain Roc after an explosive battle at Veracruz. However, there’s no time for hugs, kisses and reconciliation when the prison is flooding and the guards are blocking the only entrance!

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED BY SCRIBO, APRIL 2011

After finally being reunited with their father, Louise and Benjamin are dreaming of adventure, but Captain Roc has left them in the care of the landlord of the Black Octopus instead. Goodbye swordfights and pirates – hello bucket, brush and chores! The twins aren’t ready to accept this fate just yet. If adventure won’t come to them, then they’ll go to it! The true nature of Captain Roc is questioned and new characters are introduced in this mysterious and exciting episode. Can the twins return to life on the high seas?

TRANSLATION FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED IN THE WHITE REVIEW WRITING IN TRANSLATION ANTHOLOGY | MARCH 2024

TRANSLATION FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED IN WORDS WITHOUT BORDERS | DECEMBER 2023

TRANSLATION FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED IN THE SOUTHERN REVIEW, SPRING ISSUE (FICTION, PAGE 172) | SPRING 2021

TRANSLATION FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED IN WORLD LITERATURE TODAY, VOLUME 95, NO 4, AUTUMN 2021

POEM TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED IN MODERN POETRY IN TRANSLATION, ISSUE NO.1 | SPRING 2021

‘The Parable of the Bread’ by Juan Villoro, Translated from the Spanish by Charlotte Coombe, published in:

AND WE CAME OUTSIDE AND SAW THE STARS AGAIN: WRITERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD ON THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC | RESTLESS BOOKS (EDITED BY ILAN STAVANS) , AUGUST 2020

In this rich, eye-opening, and uplifting digital anthology, dozens of esteemed writers, poets, artists, and translators from more than thirty countries send literary dispatches from life during the pandemic. Net proceeds benefit booksellers in need.

ABOUT THE BOOK

As our world is transformed by the coronavirus pandemic, writers offer a powerful antidote to the fearful confines of isolation: a window onto lives and corners of the world beyond our own. In Mauritius, a journalist contends with denialism and mourns the last days of summer, lost to the lockdown. In Paris, a writer struggles to protect his young son from fear. In Chile, protesters who prevailed against tear gas and rubber bullets are now halted by a virus. In Queens, after thirteen-hour shifts in the ER, a doctor dons running shoes and makes the long jog home.

And We Came Outside and Saw the Stars Again takes its title from the last line of Dante’s Inferno, when the poet and his guide emerge from hell to once again behold the beauty of the heavens. In that spirit, the stories, essays, poems, and artwork in this collection—from beloved authors including Jhumpa Lahiri, Mario Vargas Llosa, Eavan Boland, Daniel Alarcón, Jon Lee Anderson, Rivka Galchen, Claire Messud, Ariel Dorfman, and many more—detail the harrowing experiences of life in the pandemic, while pointing toward a less isolated future. Together they comprise a profound global portrait of the defining moment of our time, and send a clarion call for solidarity across borders.

Our literary culture depends on bookstores—and those irreplaceable sources of conversation and community, of inspiration and solace, have been decimated by the lockdown. Net proceeds from And We Came Outside and Saw the Stars Again will go to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, which helps the passionate booksellers we readers depend upon.

TRANSLATION FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED IN ASYMPTOTE JOURNAL SUMMER ISSUE | JULY 2021

TRANSLATION FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED IN LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURE TODAY NUMBER 16 | NOVEMBER 2020

Speech for the opening of the 20th international literature festival berlin.
MARIO VARGAS LLOSA

TRANSLATION FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED ON LITERATURFESTIVAL.COM | SEPTEMBER 2020

TRANSLATION FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED IN WORLD LITERATURE TODAY, AUGUST 2020

CO-TRANSLATION FROM THE SPANISH BY ISABEL ADEY AND CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED ONLINE BY PROJECT PLUME, OCTOBER 2019

CO-TRANSLATION FROM THE SPANISH BY ISABEL ADEY AND CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED IN BILINGUAL EDITION IN LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURE TODAY, VOLUME 1 NO. 13, FEBRUARY 2020

TRANSLATION FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED IN WORDS WITHOUT BORDERS, ‘VOICE FROM THE PANDEMIC’ SERIES, JUNE 2020

PUBLISHED ONLINE BY BOOKANISTA, 2019

TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED ONLINE BY PALABRAS ERRANTES, 2016

TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED ONLINE BY PALABRAS ERRANTES, 2013

TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH BY CHARLOTTE COOMBE | PUBLISHED ONLINE BY PALABRAS ERRANTES, 2015