A Stab in the Dark

The Milestone Poetry Collection of Border Region Literature

Los Angeles Review of Books
Facundo Bernal, translated by Anthony Seidman, foreword by Yxta Maya Murray, introduction by Josh Kun, Gabriel Trujillo Muñoz, edited by Boris Dralyuk
9781940660394 / 8 January 2019 / Paperback / 280pp / 203x127mm / GEN / AUD$29.99, NZD$34.99
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Age range 10 to 100

In A Stab in the Dark, originally titled Palos de Ciego, Facundo Bernal poetically chronicles the lives, beliefs, and customs of Mexicans living in Los Angeles, as well as the inhabitants of Mexicali, in the early 1920s. This illuminating work of blends Bernal's journalistic, literary, and poetic pursuits to paint a detailed, captivating portrait of Mexican-American life. Originally published in Spanish in Los Angeles's "La Prensa" newspaper, A Stab in the Dark is the original work of Chicano literature, and has never before been translated into English. With the original introduction from renowned Mexicali writer Gabriel Trujillo Muñoz, an additional foreword from scholar and 2016 MacArthur fellow Josh Kun, and afterword by award-winning Mexican-American author Alex Espinoza, a new light is shed on Bernal's historic work.

Contributor Bio

Facundo Bernal was a poet and journalist. He grew up in Hermosillo, Mexico during a time of political and social conflict, coming of age just before the Mexican Revolution. With his brother Francisco, he is representative of the bohemian Mexican literature of the era. He died in 1962.
Anthony Seidman is the author of three collections of poetry, including Where Thirsts Intersect (The Bitter Oleander, 2006). His latest collection of poetry, A Sleepless Man Sits Up In Bed, was published in 2016 from Eyewear Publishing of London, England. He lives in Los Angeles.
Gabriel Trujillo Muñoz is a poet, narrator, essayist, and professor at the Autonomous University of Baja California-Mexicali. He is widely considered one of the biggest voices in contemporary Mexican science fiction for more than 30 years. He lives in Mexicali.
Yxta Maya Murray is a lawyer, novelist, art critic, and professor of law at Loyola Law School. She writes widely on gender justice, performance art, and the intersections of law and literature. She lives in Los Angeles.
Josh Kun is an American author, academic and music critic. Kun is an associate professor of communication in the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California. He also holds a joint appointment at USC's Department of American Studies and Ethnicity. He lives in Los Angeles.
Boris Dralyuk is the executive editor of the Los Angeles Review of Books, and a literary translator.