Shelfies #34: Cristina Jurado

In the last twenty years I’ve lived in three continents and five countries. As I’m settling permanently in Dubai (at least I think I am), I got to finally gather my books. Some are really dear to me, like the collection of Great Works of Modern Literature in Spanish my parents patiently bought, one book every month, when I was a teenager. Mom and dad never finished primary school because they started to work very young, but they understood the importance of knowledge and books and use every opportunity to expose me and my siblings to stories. With more than a hundred titles, this collection features some of the most iconic authors of the twentieth century: Herman Hesse, Italo Calvino, Ernest Hemingway, Marguerite Duras…

A little secret first: I always carry with me Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and a book of stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Those in the photo, badly torn out now, came to me in my formative years and left a long-lasting impression that shines through all my writings. 

I still remember the first time I read China Miéville. It was the book in this shelf, King Rat. It’s not his best story but, when I started reading it without any expectations, the best I can describe my experience is that I felt home. There was a certain way of telling, a certain choice of themes and angles to handle them, a certain taste for the unsettling so familiar to me that I froze. Since then, I lost any apprehension and started to address the uncomfortable in my own stories. 

Then, there is Ice by Anna Kavan. To say that this book blew my mind is an understatement as much as a cliché but hear me out: I didn’t know this kind of literature was being published, one in which everything is daring. The first time I read Ice, it confused me, but in a good way because it allowed me to reflect on what writing meant to me. The second time, I was just mesmerized by the power of what is not being disclosed in the narration, of what it’s just being whispered in the ears of the reader. Since then, I learnt and enjoyed it more every time.

Some of the best times I spend reading were thanks to John Le Carré and his “spy operas”. Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy is one of my favorites books because of the remarkable characters the author created. To engage the reader since the first page thanks to a perfectly inconspicuous protagonist, and to center not just a novel but a whole series on him it’s such an elegant narrative solution that should be taught in literature.

With my loved ones, these books are the meaning of home to me. What are yours?

Cristina Jurado is a bilingual author of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other hybrid genres, as well as editor, translator, and sf promoter. In 2019, she became the first female author to win the Best Novel Ignotus Award (Spain’s Hugo) for Bionautas. Her recent fiction in English includes her collection Alphaland & Other Tales (Calque) and many stories in various venues, such as Strange Horizons, Clarkesworld, Apex and The Best of World SF. Her works have been translated into English, Italian, Romanian, Chinese and Japanese.

Recipient of Europe’s Best SF Promoter Award in 2020, she has worked as editor and contributor in Apex and Constelación magazines, Spanish slush reader for Clarkesworld and editor for the Hispanic initiative Futura House. Her upcoming weird ecohorror novella ChloroPhilia is coming in early 2025 with Apex Publishing.

Shelfies is edited by Lavie Tidhar and Jared Shurin. If you are interested in sharing a shelfie, please let us know.