Hay Festival’s connection with Pilar Quintana began in 2007 when the festival created Bogotá39, a list of 39 of the best Latin American fiction writers aged under 40. The Colombian author is this year’s winner of the Alfaguara Prize with her fifth novel, Los abismos. Violence and beauty usually come together in the books of Quintana and this is also the case with Los abismos, which tells the story of two generations of women. Unlike other of her novels, there is no blood or political violence, but there is another more subtle kind of violence, which is experienced within the family and particularly by women. Her latest novel, The Bitch, was shortlisted for the 2020 National Book Award. She is also the author of short stories, a collection of which has been published with the title Caperucita se come al lobo.

Quintana will talk to Cristina Fuentes La Roche, International Director of Hay Festival, and jury of Alfaguara Prize 2020.