University of Florida alumna Giovanna Rivero (PhD in Hispanic Literatures, 2015) is having an extraordinary year in her literary career. Her most recent book, Tierra fresca de su tumba, has become a global sensation. In addition, her novel 98 segundos sin sombra has been adapted to film by Juan Pablo Richter.
Let’s see what Giovanna has to say in her own words:
“Tierra fresca de su tumba has given me great satisfaction. Although my hope is that my writing reaches many readers, the truth is that I published the first edition in Argentina without expecting much. And suddenly a miracle happened: the characters found friends in different countries and undertook their own journeys. Some of these stories were inspired by real situations, such as the many cases of sexual abuse that occurred within the Mennonite community, Manitoba, in Bolivia. The book already has gone through several editions, which I find incredible.
Also, the film adaptation of my novel 98 segundos sin sombra, by the Bolivian director Juan Pablo Richter, has triggered a renewed interest in the world of Genoveva, the teenage protagonist from the 1980s. While they were filming, I exchanged a couple of voice messages with Geraldine Chaplin – who plays Clara Luz – and she told me that she deeply identified with adolescent loneliness and that all of us, at some point in our lives, had been that sullen young woman who dreams of traveling to Ganymede. I am so grateful that my art inspires other art, since Tierra fresca de su tumba will also be made into a film by the production company RT Features.”
Brava for Giovanna!
Here is the trailer for 98 segundos sin sombra: