Beloved author Benjamin Alire Sáenz, first Latino PEN/Faulkner winner, dies at 71
Summary
Benjamin Alire Sáenz, an award-winning Latino author and poet known for his stories about life on the Southern border and LGBTQ+ themes, has died at age 71. He was the first Latino to win the PEN/Faulkner prize and wrote popular books including "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe," which inspired a recent film.Key Facts
- Benjamin Alire Sáenz died last week in El Paso, Texas, after a long illness.
- He was the first Latino to win the PEN/Faulkner fiction prize, awarded in 2013.
- Sáenz was born in New Mexico and was once a Catholic priest before leaving the order and coming out as gay.
- His acclaimed 2012 young adult novel tells the story of two Mexican American boys falling in love.
- The novel won awards for LGBTQ+ literature but faced censorship, including bans in some schools and countries.
- Lin-Manuel Miranda narrated the audiobook and helped produce the 2023 film adaptation starring Max Pelayo and Reese Gonzales.
- Sáenz taught creative writing at the University of Texas at El Paso for many years before retiring in 2016.
- His upcoming book, "When the World Was Happy," will address surviving tragedy, inspired by a bowling alley shooting and the 2022 Uvalde school shooting.
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