Not a River: A Novel

“Selva Almada is, in many ways, the writer of the river. She often sets her stories on a river landscape. This has is rooted in a very interesting tradition in Argentinian literature or literature from the River Plate, whereby othe well-known writers have taken the river as a scenario to explore a certain narrative. Not a River is a book written by a woman, but the main characters are men. In other words, Selva shows in this novel a very masculine world. I don’t want to spoil the story, but the focus is on three big, masculine men who treat the river as if they were its owners.” Read more...

Five of the Best 21st-Century Argentinian Novels

Claudia Piñeiro, Novelist

“Selva Almada is an established, influential Argentinian writer who is compared to Flannery O’Conner, even William Faulkner. She’s published ten books, including novels, poetry, and short story collections. Not a River is inspired by the territory where she was born and raised, and by the people who inhabit that land and are, as she says, marginalised by government policies that condemn them to poverty, and to a lack of education and healthcare. It’s her tribute to the land and its people.” Read more...

The Best Novels in Translation: The 2024 International Booker Prize Shortlist

Eleanor Wachtel, Broadcaster