Rodrigo Hasbun Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Anthologies

Rodrigo Hasbun is a renowned writer from Bolivia, who is popular for writing historical fiction, cultural, and literature & fiction novels. He has written several highly successful books in his career. Some of his most popular books include Bogota 39, Affections, Highway, etc. Hasbun has also written a few short stories. Author Hasbun was born in 1981 in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Currently, he resides in Houston, Texas, United States. For his book Bogota 39, Hasbun was chosen as one of the best writers of the Latin America origin under the age of 35 by Hay Festival. Author Hasbun was also named the Best Young Novelist of Spanish Language by Granta. After writing a couple of novels, he ventured into writing short stories. They became very popular all over the world and 2 of them were adapted into films as well. Most of the works of author Hasbun have featured in McSweeney’s, Words Without Borders, Granta, Zoetrope, and other well known literary magazines. Hasbun’s book, Affections, has won the PEN Award and it has been released in 12 different languages worldwide.

Author Hasbun has stated that he was influenced greatly to take writing as a career from the popular works of some of the most prominent writers like J.M. Coetzee, Juan Carlos Onetti, and John Cheever. He has received a lot of praises from the English speaking as well as non-English speaking readers from across the globe. They have appreciated his work and have given motivating reviews on various literary platforms. Even some popular critics and reviewers have also liked Hasbun’s novels. They have appreciated his style of writing and character descriptions. Author Hasbun says that he is very grateful for all the love and support his fans have given him for all the years. He hopes that they will continue to like his future works as well and help him achieve greater heights in his literary career. As of now, Hasbun is working on the development of his latest novel. He is expected to complete the writing part and make the novel available of release very soon. Hasbun is happily married and resides with his beloved family in Texas. His close friends and family members have always supported him and he believes this is what has kept him going all along. He wishes to get more support in the future and keep entertaining his fans like he has been doing so far.

A very popular book written by author Rodrgio Hasbun is entitled ‘The Place of the Body’. It was released by the Alfaguara publication in the year 2009, two years after its first release in 2007. Author Hasbun has done the book’s setting in Bolivia and has mentioned the chief character in the role of Elena. At the beginning of the book’s story, it is shown that Elena was sexually abused by her brother when she was small. Now, she has grown old enough to understand what happened with her in her childhood was bad. She has turned herself into a noteworthy writer and seems all set to have a flourishing and fulfilling life. However, the memory of the abuses doesn’t let her attain the peace of mind. As a fierce woman, Elena tries to speak the story of her life through words. Her disturbed mind and status of successful writer causes a war inside her, giving the indication that two different women coexist in her. And this war seems to be continuously going on between her past and present.

While writing about her life, Elena describes her story with the help of sexual entanglements, broken affections, etc. Her language is precise like a scalpel and to the point. She attempts to open the interior spaces of herself and confronts her past without any mirages or redemption. This novel is quite provocative and original. It is seen as an excellent Bolivian narrative. Hasbun use of characters and languages is very impressive. Many readers felt that the book tends to provoke with its honest and direct language. This impressed one and all and helped in the books publicity to a greater extent. With the descriptions given in this book, it seems that author Hasbun doesn’t believe in the ordinary world. He does not even show any struggle to show his belonging to it. Some excellent aspects of this painful book include successful construction of the complex structures, main character’s gaze’s centrality, and resistance of the texts to interpret. Many critics believe that this book is one of the risky and beautiful ones to have been attempted by a Bolivian writer in the recent years. The novel showcases the Bolivian literature in a different way that the readers liked and appreciated very much.

Another excellent novel penned by Hasbun is called ‘Affections’. It was published in 2015 by the Random House. This story is also set in Bolivia and depicts the members of the a peculiar family called the Ertls in the central roles. The primary characters depicted include Hans Ertl, Monika Ertl, and several others. The plot revolves around the Ertl family’s gradual disintegration following the defeat of Germany is World War II. At the start of the story of the book, it is depicted that after Germany gets defeated, the Ertls, who are Nazi sympathizers, move to Bolivia to go into exile. They hope to give a new start to their lives. The head of this family is Hans Ertl, who thinks that his family has come to a strange land. So, he decides to relocate the family to the Paititi’s great lands. The Paititi is an Incas lost city hidden some remote location in the jungles of Amazon.

Hans Ertl’s wife and 3 daughters fear that the path is going to be a tough one for them and might harm them in many ways. They seem reluctant to go with Hans, but do not show any hesitance because of the affection they have for Hans. Also, they don’t wish to oppose the strongly dominating nature of Hans. But, Hans’ most adventurous and eldest daughter named Monika decides to take a different path. She seems to be the only one among all Ertls, who inherits unconventional character. She launches herself to a more rash objective going by the interest of her convictions. As time passes by, the family gets disintegrated and each member begins to live a lonely life altogether. They become victims of self-guilt. This book contains the translucent background of 1950s and 1960s. Hasbun has given an exciting mixture of fiction, historical facts, and biography. The story is fast paced and is filled with beautiful elements. This book was also liked and highly appreciated by the readers all over the globe and received excellent reviews.