Charco Press facts for kids

Charco Press is a special book publisher located in Edinburgh, Scotland. They focus on finding amazing new stories from Latin America and translating them into English. This helps English-speaking readers discover exciting books they might not have heard of before.

Charco Press was started in 2016 by Carolina Orloff and Samuel McDowell. Since then, they have become very successful. Their main goal is to share fresh and important Latin American books with the world. They do this by making sure the translations are really good. In 2019, they began selling their books in Canada and the US. Later, in 2021, they started publishing original books in Spanish. In 2022, they also began publishing original books in English.

What Does "Charco" Mean?

The name "Charco" means "puddle" or "pond" in Spanish. This name comes from a common saying in some Latin American countries. People there sometimes call the Atlantic Ocean "the pond."

The phrase cruzar el charco means "to cross the pond." It refers to traveling overseas or moving between continents. This idea also connects to the many people who have moved to and from Latin America throughout history. So, the name "Charco Press" shows their goal. They want to build a bridge between Latin America and the English-speaking world through books.

How Charco Press Started

Charco Press officially began in November 2016 in Edinburgh. It was founded by Carolina Orloff and Samuel McDowell. Carolina Orloff studied Latin American literature at the University of Edinburgh. She noticed that the same Latin American authors were always available in English bookshops. She also saw that these were the only authors discussed in universities.

Because of this, Carolina and Samuel decided to do something different. They wanted to find newer, impactful Latin American books. Their goal was to make these stories available to English readers. In 2019, Charco Press teamed up with Consortium. This company helps distribute books across Canada and the US.

In 2021, Charco Press started publishing new books written in Spanish. Then, in 2022, they launched a collection of original books in English. These English books often include non-fiction stories and memoirs. They usually have a clear connection to Latin America. By 2023, Charco Press had nearly 40 titles in its catalog. Their success has even encouraged other publishers to translate more Spanish-language books into English.

Awards and Recognitions

Books published by Charco Press have won or been nominated for many important awards. This shows how much their work is appreciated.

• International Booker Prize:
  • Elena Knows was shortlisted in 2022.
  • The Adventures of China Iron was shortlisted in 2020.
  • Die, My Love was shortlisted in 2018.

• Premio Valle-Inclán (from the Society of Authors):
  • A Musical Offering won in 2021.
  • Several other books were shortlisted, including Two Sherpas (2023), Brickmakers (2022), Dead Girls (2021), Ramifications (2021), Fish Soup (2019), and Die, My Love (2018).

• PEN Translates Award:
  • The Distance between Us won in 2018.
  • Resistance also won in 2018.

• Cercador Prize:
  • Of Cattle and Men won in 2023.

Other Charco Press books have also been recognized. They were shortlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize, the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation, and the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.

The publishing house itself has also received awards. At Scotland's National Book Awards, Charco Press was named Publisher of the Year in 2023. Carolina Orloff was named Emerging Publisher of the Year in 2018. Charco Press was also named Scotland's Small Press of the Year at the British Book Awards in both 2021 and 2019.

Authors Published by Charco Press

Charco Press has published many talented authors, including:

• Katya Adaui
• Selva Almada
• Ave Barrera
• Cristina Bendek
• Gabriela Cabezon Camara
• Sergio Chejfec
• Giuseppe Caputo
• Renato Cisneros
• Jorge Consiglio
• Jennifer Croft
• Diamela Eltit
• Federico Falco
• Rodrigo Fuentes
• Julian Fuks
• Margarita Garcia Robayo
• Margo Glantz
• Daniel Hahn
• Ariana Harwicz
• Andrea Jeftanovic
• Martin Kohan
• Brenda Lozano
• Ana Paula Maia
• Carla Maliandi
• Sebastian Martinez Daniell
• Daniel Mella
• Sylvia Molloy
• Claudia Piñeiro
• Giovanna Rivero
• Ricardo Romero
• Luis Sagasti
• Daniel Saldana Paris
• Karla Suarez
• Fernanda Trias
• Ida Vitale