Argentina’s Martín Kohan Wins the 2007 Premio Herralde

By Jessica Bermúdez -- Críticas, 11/15/2007

The 25th Premio Herralde de Novela, granted by Editorial Anagrama, was awarded to Argentinian writer Martín Kohan (b. Buenos Aires, 1967) for Ciencias morales (“Moral Science”), his seventh novel. The winner was selected from 201 submissions; Kohan’s prize consists of €18,000 (approximately US$26,000). Antonio Ortuño’s (b. Guadalajara, 1976) Recursos humanos (“Human Resources”) took second place.

Ciencias morales takes place in a Buenos Aires school at the beginning of the 1980s, during the military dictatorship. María Teresa, a young teacher, learns the strict disciplinary code of the school immediately after being hired. She struggles to control her students, until she perfects her technique, which involves hiding in bathrooms to surprise students smoking, and slowly begins to enjoy her power, and the vigilance and rigorous discipline in the school begins to resemble the rest of the country. Kohan, who submitted his novel under the pseudonym Michael Cane, said this story was inspired by his own life.

Kohan teaches at the University of Buenos Aires and the Patagonia. His previous novels include La pena de Laura (“Laura’s Sorrow”; 1993), El informe (“The Report”; 1997), Los cautivos (“The Captives”; 2000), Dos veces junio (“Twice June”; 2002), Segundos afuera (“Second Outside”; 2005), and Museo de la revolución (“Revolution Museum”; 2006). He has also published short stories and three books of essays. Some of his work has been translated and published by prestigious houses in Italy, United Kingdom, France, and Germany.

Ciencias morales will be published in Spain this month and will be available in the United States in December through Anagrama’s exclusive U.S. distributor, LD Books.

The son of Spanish immigrants, finalist Ortuño said he hadn’t slept since he learned he was on the short list for the prize given by such a “grandiose” publisher of which he first learned “stealing books at the Feria del Libro de Guadalajara.” His novel centers on Gabriel Lynch, who decides to move up at his job and rebel against his boss, Constantino.