Were it not for the endeavour of a small, independent publisher that grew from a Mazatlan coffee shop, lost and forgotten novels and tales of Mexican history would never again be discovered by English-speaking readers.
Richard Grabman, a writer and historian from the United States who runs Mexico’s only English-language book publisher, was among the many literary enthusiasts drawn to Guadalajara by the International Book Fair (FIL) this week.
Grabman is project director for Editorial Wisemaz, a publishing house based in the popular coastal resort of Mazatlan, Sinaloa. Founded in 2008, it began life as a coffee shop and second-hand bookstore for tourists, founded by David Bodwell, the author of “Enjoy Spanish in Mexico.”
The parent company of Editorial Mazatlan – which publishes non-fiction works encompassing research, language, history and culture – Editorial Wisemaz has recently announced the inauguration of a second imprint, Valor Books, which will publish fiction set in Mexico and even children’s books.
Driven by an interest in history, a passion for literature and a growing curiosity of Mexican culture, Grabman explains how he was first drawn south of the border. He grew up in northern New York state, in “a rural, agricultural area” he describes as “similar to Lake Chapala.”
After studying English literature, Grabman “worked as a technical writer for several years, wrote poetry and worked on and off in small presses.” Throughout his career, he found himself moving to the mid-west and then to the south of the United States. “I figured if I’d gone that far south, I might as well keep going,” Grabman says with a grin.
“I had what I like to call a ‘creative mid-life crisis.’ I needed a change and (moving to Mexico) turned out to be a good one. I’m interested in history and I’d worked on and off in publishing so it went well. The big challenge has been learning Spanish.”
The idea of a publishing house came to Grabman while living in southern Texas, as he “grew more interested in the history and culture” from across the border. As he read up on it, he “realized so much of this was not written for the common person, but for graduates. There was a need for this to be written in simple English” to make it universally accessible.
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