In Memoriam—Aura Estrada

-- Críticas, 8/15/2007

Aura Estrada, the wife of Guatemalan American writer Francisco Goldman (The Long Night of White Chickens, Grove Press, 1998; La noche larga de los pollos blancos Anagrama, 1995) was killed July 25 in Oaxaca, Mexico, in a swimming accident while on vacation. Estrada, age 30, was a writer, essayist, reviewer, and professor. She is remembered as a bright, quickly intelligent woman, who was coming into her own as a fiction writer. Estrada is best known for her breakout essay, “Borges, Bolaño, and the Return of the Epic,” featured in the online magazine Words Without Borders, as well as for reviews and articles published in Spanish-language literary magazines such as Letras Libres and Letralia.com.

Hunter College has created a memorial website for Estrada, who was enrolled in their MFA Creative Writing program. Included is an essay by Goldman that mentions plans to publish a book of her writings, both in Spanish and translated to English, compiled from her files and papers. According to Goldman, a foundation to provide an annual scholarship to young Mexican women writers is also in the works.

For further information on Estrada’s life and writing visit here.