Heavens on Earth

From Carmen Boullosa, winner of Mexico’s prestigious Xavier Villaurrutia Award, comes Heavens on Earth, a testament to the power of the written word in transcending political, racial, and cultural barriers to create and preserve history. Lear, officially known as 24, lives in L'Atlantide, a utopian post-apocalyptic society placing increasing limits on the use of language. Steadfast in her resistance to new regulations and pressure to conform, Lear continues to transcribe the writings of Don Hernando, a 16th century Indian priest, and of Estela in the 20th century, an early translator of Don Hernando’s work. Though separated by time and space, Lear and Estela find strength in Hernando’s words, ultimately rebelling against their respective societies in a struggle for remembrance.

Cloud Atlas meets Savage Detectives in Carmen Boullosa’s Heavens on Earth as three narratives thread together in a captivating exploration of memory, language, and humanity.

Carmen Boullosa is one of Mexico’s leading novelists, poets, and playwrights. Her most recent novel Texas: The Great Theft (Deep Vellum, 2014) was shortlisted for the PEN Translation Prize, nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award, and won Typographical Era’s Translation Award. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and Mexico City, Mexico.