Amparo Dávila Books In Order

Publication Order of Collections

Publication Order of Anthologies

About Amparo Dávila

The Mexican author Amparo Dávila was a true luminary during her lifetime, creating a vast number of exciting and engaging novels. Primarily interested in horror fiction with elements of fantasy, she was hugely popular in Mexico, and has since been translated for an audience worldwide. A versatile writer, she always has much to say, allowing her work and stories to speak to a whole range of different issues. Gifted as she was creative, she had a clear and direct approach to writing, whilst also evoking a strong sense of visuals in the reader.

Often Dávila was known for writing on subjects such as insanity, mental-health, death, and danger, which she’d show through her protagonists. Usually featuring a female protagonist in the lead-role, she would typically speak to mental issues that they were found to be facing. Dealing with the persistence of time, and what can and cannot be changed, she’d use it as a symbol throughout much of her work. This approach would then give her writing a greater level of depth, making her stories entirely singular to her and her alone.

Engaging and entertaining in equal measure, she’s inspired a generation of writers to follow within her footsteps. Creating a unique style that’s very much her own, she established a legacy that continues to live on to this very day. With more and more discovering her work every day, more are expected to follow within her footsteps for a long time yet. Further translations of her work are expected in the future, with many awards and honors being given in her name.

Early and Personal Life

Born on the 28th of February 1928, Amparo Dávila was born and raised in the town of Pinos, which is located in Zacatecas, Mexico. Growing up, she would be constantly reading books from her father’s library, as she would learn to love reading early on. This time spent reading would see her begin to tackle some of the themes she would become best known for in her later work, including fear.

Moving to Mexico City in 1954, she would work as the secretary for the notable Alfonso Reyes, before going on to become a part of the ‘Centro Mexicano de Escritores.’ This group was the ‘Mexican Writer’s Center,’ and would see her begin to become a fully fledged writer of her own. Since recognized in Mexico City by the Palacio de Bellas Artes, she has gone on to become a name that garners respect in the literary world to this day.

Writing Career

The first book that Amparo Dávila would release was titled ‘Salmos bajo la luna,’ and it would come out in 1950. She would then later follow this up with ‘Meditaciones a la orilla del sueńo’ along with ‘Perfil de soledades’ in 1954. Later, in 1959, she would go on to publish ‘Tiempo destrozado’ and then ‘Música concreta’ in 1964, allowing her to really make a name for herself.

Often writing short-stories, poetry, and novels, she was well known for her versatility as an author, working within a range of different styles. It’s was largely the horror, macabre, and the uncanny that she would come back to time and time again, using its themes to say what she wanted to say. Winning awards for her work, such as the ‘Xavier Villarrutia Award’ in 1977 for her collection of short-stories, she would also go on to have a 2015 literary prize setup in her name for the best ‘fantastic’ short-story.

Poesia Reunida

Originally brought out in 2011 on the 1st of August, this Spanish language collection of poems was first brought out through the ‘Fondo de Cultura Economica USA’ imprint. It’s a straightforward collection of poetry making for an extremely engaging insight into Dávila’s work in her later life. Yet to be translated into English, this collection of poems in Spanish collates much of the late authors work and ideas.

Known as ‘Poetry Gathered,’ this collection of poems is one of Amparo Dávila’s most emotive works she’s produced. Leading towards ideas of child-like expectation, she comes to understand deeper feelings rooted deep within the psyche. Capturing her own childhood on the page, she relates how she felt, conjuring up snapshots from the past in her many poems. Love and death are evoked within her work, expressing themselves, as they’re intricately and delicately shaped for the reader in a truly heartfelt manner.

There’s so much between the words here, this is a must for any fans of the author and of her work, giving an insight into her life and mind. Capturing her feelings, it looks back on moments in her life, really bringing them to life once again upon the page. With something for everyone to take away, it’s easy to relate to, regardless of who the reader is, or where they’re from.

The Houseguest and Other Stories

Initially published in 2018 on the 18th of June, this would first come out through the ‘New Directions’ publishing house. A collection of short-stories from Amparo Dávila, this would be the first book from the author to be translated into English. With Matthew Gleeson and Audrey Harris translating it, the book brings together many of her well known stories for the first time in the English language.

Largely concerned with themes of obsession, desire, paranoia, and fear, Dávila concerns herself with the nightmares faced. These stories look at these ideas, as it sees what lurks behind the shadows, giving a deeper understanding into the human psyche. Dealing with these horrors in the every day, she relates them to very real and grounded subject matter and characters. There’s a greater understanding of the psychological impact these feelings have, as the stories bring the inner-world to life.

These short-stories have so much personality to them, really capturing who Amparo Dávila was as an author. Giving her voice a real sense of vitality, the translation keeps her work and ideas alive for an international audience of readers. With characters that speak to various different issues pertaining to life, death, and everything in-between, this is a great introduction to Dávila as a writer.