Slum Virgin

“Queer writing at its most exhilarating.” ―Times Literary Supplement

The slums of Buenos Aires, the government, the mafia, the Virgin Mary, corrupt police, sex workers, thieves, drug dealers, and debauchery all combine in this sweeping novel deemed a ‘revelation for contemporary literature’ and ‘pure dynamite’ (Andrés Neuman, author of Traveller of the Century & Talking to Ourselves ).

When the Virgin Mary appears to Cleopatra, she renounces sex work and takes charge of the shantytown she lives in, transforming it into a tiny utopia. Ambitious journalist Quity knows she’s found the story of the year when she hears about it, but her life is changed forever once she finds herself irrevocably seduced by the captivating subject of her article. Densely-packed, fast-paced prose, weaving slang and classical references, Slum Virgin refuses to whitewash the reality of the poor and downtrodden, and jumps deftly from tragedy to comedy in a way that has the reader laughing out loud.

Gabriela Cabezón Cámara was born in Buenos Aires in 1968. Her debut novel Slum Virgin (Charco, 2017) was followed by Romance de la negra rubia (Romance of the Blonde Brunette ) as well as by two collections of short stories. In 2011 she published the novella Le viste la cara a Dios (You’ve Seen God’s Face ), later turned into a graphic novel, Beya (Biutiful ), illustrated by Iñaki Echeverría. In 2013, she was Writer-in-Residence at the University of California, Berkeley. The Adventures of China Iron , published by Charco Press in 2020, was shortlisted for the International Booker and the Médicis prizes. In addition to being an environmental activist, Cabezón Cámara is one of the leading feminist and LGBTQ+ intellectuals in Latin America. Her most recent novel is We Are Green and Trembling .

Frances Riddle has translated numerous Spanish-language authors, including Isabel Allende, Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Claudia Piñeiro, and Leila Guerriero. Her work has been shortlisted for the International Booker Prize and the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Translation Prize. Originally from Houston, Texas, she lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina.