Reading Challenge 2020 – Spanish Language

¡Hola everyone! Reading Challenge 2020 is ready! I have dedicated this year to the Spanish language, which I love to learn. But when I started learning Spanish, I realized that I hardly know all the countries where this beautiful language is spoken. I think it is impossible to learn a language without knowing the people and nations that speak it.

Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world after Chinese. It is also the official language of twenty countries. I wanted to dedicate each item of the project to a country, as these twenty countries hold the dynamics of Spanish. But I also realized that in 2020 I want to do more than just reading books.

• I’m going to find at least one artist from every country; learn all about them and examine their work.
• If I can find any, I’m going to watch a film from every country.
• I will make one of the traditional dishes from each country.
• I will listen to at least one song from each country.

I’d be really happy if you can join me on this exciting adventure and share the things you love on the way!

While searching for authors from Spanish speaking countries, I came across Charco Press. They are a small press from Edinburgh, focusing on Latin American literature. You’ll see that many of the books on my list are from their authors and I cannot tell you how happy I am to read their books.

Charco Press focuses on finding outstanding contemporary Latin American literature and bringing it to new readers in the English-speaking world. We aim to act as a cultural and linguistic bridge for you to be able to access a brand new world of fiction that has, until now, been missing from your reading list.

Charco Press

Reading Challenge 2020

The Year of Reading the Spanish Language

1. Argentina

Book: The Wind That Lays Waste – Selva Almada
Artist: Martín Malharro
Film: Familia sumergida (A Family Submerged)
Song: La Costura de Dios – Gustavo Cerati

2. Bolivia

Book: Affections – Rodrigo Hasbún
Artist: Roberto Mamani Mamani
Film: Southern District (Zona Sur) – Juan Carlos Valdivia
Song: Kjarkas – Bolivia

3. Chile

Book: The Name of a Bullfighter – Luis Sepúlveda
Artist: Roberto Matta
Film: A Fantastic Woman – Sebastián Lelio
Song: Motor Psico – Diego Lorenzini

4. Colombia

Book: Fish Soup – Margarita García Robayo
Artist: Fernando Botero
Film: Pirotecnia – Carlos Federico Atehortúa Arteaga
Song: La Aventurera – Mónica Giraldo

5. Costa Rica

Book: The Old Patagonian Express: By Train Through the Americas – Paul Theroux
Artist: Francisco Amighetti
Film: The Awakening of the Ants – Antonella Sudasassi
Song: Cocofunka – Chúcaro

6. Cuba

Book: Before Night Falls – Reinaldo Arenas
Artist: Carmen Herrera
Film: Un traductor – Rodrigo Santoro
Song: Buena Vista Social Club – Chan Chan

7. Dominican Republic

Book: This Is How You Lose Her – Junot Diaz
Artist: Cándido Bidó
Film: Carpinteros (Woodpeckers) – José María Cabral
Song: Techy Fatule – Entregarte Todo

8. Ecuador

Book: Poso Wells – Gabriela Alemán
Artist: Pablo Cardoso
Film: Mejor No Hablar (The Porcelain Horse)
Song: Nicola Cruz – Colibria

9. El Salvador

Book: Senselessness – Horacio Castellanos Moya
Artist: Salvador Salazar Arrué
Film: La Palabra de Pablo
Song: Carrot – Liviano

10. Equatorial Guinea

Book: By Night the Mountain Burns – Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel
Artist: Equatorial Guinea Bodypainting Festival
Film: Where The Road Runs Out
Song: Nelida Karr ft. Joss Stone

11. Guatemala

Book: Trout, Belly Up – Rodrigo Fuentes
Artist: Carlos Mérida
Film: When the Mountains Tremble (1983)
Song: Gaby Moreno – Luna de Xelajú

12. Honduras

Book: The Lost City of the Monkey God – Douglas Preston
Artist: Pablo Zelaya Sierra
Film: Un Lugar en El Caribe – Juan Carlos Fanconi
Song: Aurelio Martinez

13. Mexico

Book: Loop – Brenda Lozano
Artist: José Clemente Orozco
Film: Roma – Alfonso Cuarón
Song: Azul (with Rodrigo Amarante) – Natalia Lafourcade

14. Nicaragua

Book: Infinity in the Palm of Her Hand – Gioconda Belli
Artist: Armando Morales
Film: Yo soy de donde hay un río – Rossana Lacayo
Song: Luis Enrique – Yo No Se Mañana

15. Panama

Book: Come Together, Fall Apart – Cristina Henriquez
Artist: Guillermo Trujillo
Film: Ruben Blades Is Not My Name – Abner Benaim
Song: Señor Loop – El Mono y La Culebra

16. Paraguay

Book: The News from Paraguay – Lily Tuck
Artist: Sebastián Boesmi
Film: The Heiresses – Marcelo Martinessi
Song: Julia Florida – Berta Rojas

17. Peru

Book: The Distance Between Us – Renato Cisneros
Artist: Daniel Hernández Morillo
Film: Retablo
Song: Orgánica – Pamela Rodriguez

18. Spain

Book: Mist – Miguel de Unamuno
Artist: Joaquín Sorolla
Film: The Skin I Live In – Pedro Almodóvar
Song: La Pandilla Voladora – Felicidad

19. Uruguay

Book: Older Brother – Daniel Mella
Artist: Pablo Atchugarry
Film: El Pepe: A Supreme Life – Emir Kusturica
Song: Quimera – Jorge Drexler

20. Venezuela

Book: The Sickness – Alberto Barrera Tyszka
Artist: Hermann Mejía
Film: Bad Hair – Marian Rondón
Song: Mi Negrita – Devendra Banhart

You can download the high-resolution version of the image HERE. Please do not forget to share your choices with me. I’m curious about the writers you’ve chosen for this project. Enjoy!

Note: If you cannot find a book from a country, you can do as I did. Just find a book that takes place in that country and enjoy.