Sly wit and liberated dreams: González Viaña

Since his hilarious, touching novel Sarita Colonia viene volando, about the incorporeal adventures of a folk heroine and healer turned angel in Lima, the Peruvian writer Eduardo González Viaña has been delighting readers with his unpredictable riffs on the popular imagination. Now his most recent collection of stories, incorporating tales of Mexicans in Mexico and the U.S., is available in an English translation by Heather Moore Cantarero. It's called American Dreams. González Viaña treats the incredible hope-filled fantasies of his subjects with humor, but also with deep respect, recognizing that however fabulous they seem, they represent deep emotional truths for their believers. The book is a joy. You may also want to check out his web site, El correo de Salem (Salem, Oregon, where he now lives and teaches).