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One of three nominees in prose, it was announced as the prize winner on 9/19/26. The committee said: "Cluster's compelling translation gracefully navigates the novel's rich linguistic tapestry, which combines dreamlike lyrical evocations with detailed geographies, historical figures, cultural references, and embedded fragmentary texts. With remarkable clarity that avoids simplification, Cluster honors Aleman's use of multilingual dialogue, especially the indigenous Guarani language, ultimately deserving the same accolades as the character Biro, 'a magician, a hypnotist.' "
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The inventor of the ball point pen. A diseased dictator. Flocks of giant, flightless birds. These are but a few key characters in Gabriela Alemán's hazy, fragmented Smoke (2025). Published by City Lights Books, this novel weaves together the past and present of Paraguay, overlaying them like translucent, cloudy paper. The book asks: who remembers history, and how? How do the personal and political intersect? And, how can a narrative interrupt itself to portray these things in all their nonlinear glory? To quote Alemán, "Being a keeper of the past is like being the guardian of white smoke..."
Alemán's blend of history and fiction is a potent one. Translator Dick Cluster makes careful effort to capture the the mix of languages pulsing in the source text — yet more threads overlaid in history's tapestry. This is how the author invites us to see place and people. It's all there, all happening at once. Smoke reminds us that history is not yet over. -- Masha Kurbatova, THE ARKANSAS INTERNATIONAL, June 2026 mix of languages pulsing in the source text — yet more threads overlaid in history's tapestry. This is how the author invites us to see place and people. It's all there, all happening at once. Smoke reminds us that history is not yet over. Alemán’s writing throughout the novel, whether she is describing wild landscapes or archaic medical treatments, is like a multisensory curio cabinet. No moment, no sensation, no image is too minor for the author to portray it in detail with her masterful hand. Cluster, who also translated Alemán’s Family Album and Poso Wells into English, has rendered a superb translation, delicately handling a complex narrative laden with specific geographical, cultural, and historical references, multilingual dialogue, and texts within texts. The result is a richly dense yet lucid, poetic, and moving novel that cannot help but lead the reader into a deeper curiosity about Paraguay and how its history is intertwined with the world’s.
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