EDGARDO RIVERA MARTÍNEZ (1933-2018) was a prolific Peruvian writer, critic, and translator who published novels, short stories, essays, travel chronicles, anthologies, poetry, and literary and cultural studies. His celebrated novel País de Jauja (Jauja Country, 1993) was a finalist for the Rómulo Gallegos Literary Prize.

AMY OLEN is an associate professor in the Translation and Interpreting Studies program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

"The prolific Edgardo Rivera Martínez has been celebrated as one of Peru's most daring writers for decades. Marayrasu, his first collection of stories to receive an English translation, expands his reach, introducing readers to his tough yet richly poetic world." --Entertainment Weekly

"[For] readers interested in broadening their familiarity with Latin American writers and all who appreciate short stories crafted like jewels." --Booklist

"This remarkable collection highlights the isolation that comes with trying to find creativity and connection amid harsh economic and political realities. Readers will surely feel the weight of history in Marínez's powerful stories, as his characters continually persevere in the face of hardship." --Chicago Review of Books

"Throughout the eight stories in this collection, Rivera Martínez expertly renders the ontological depths of his characters--most of whom are stranded, physically or spiritually or socially--with the aid of mythology, fantasy, and fable--all of which are melded, in true Andean fashion, with the surrounding overwhelm. Within this context, he speaks powerfully of class alienation, of loneliness, and of heritage." --Asymptote

"Marayrasu is a much-needed translation of the literary work of one of the most important Peruvian writers of the twentieth century. This is a remarkable achievement and serves as a wonderful presentation of Rivera Martínez's oeuvre." --Javier Garcia Liendo, Washington University in St. Louis