There Is No Such Place

About the Book

There Is No Such Place is a novel by acclaimed Mexican writer Ignacio Solares and translated into English by Timothy G. Compton.  Set in the remote and inhospitable mountains of Chihuahua in northern Mexico, it tells the story of a young priest, Lucas Caraveo, who spends three remarkable days in San Sóstenes, an extraordinary Utopian community.  Most of the town’s inhabitants have been diagnosed with terminal illnesses, and have fled civilization to confront death without fear or dread.  Surrounded by Tarahumara Indians and drawing upon their ancient outlook on death and human relationships, the village of San Sóstenes has a unique economic and spiritual harmony, despite the harsh physical environment.  The town’s leader is either a self-aggrandizing, twisted, charismatic, dangerous outcast, or a spiritual, economic and social visionary.  In this refreshing yet odd and isolated locale, Caraveo struggles to make sense of his own value system, meets intriguing people, encounters astonishing, highly charged circumstances, and anguishes over whether he will ever be allowed to leave. 

The original Spanish version of this novel received the Mazatlán prize for Mexican literature in 2004.

About the Author

Ignacio Solares is one of Mexico’s most outstanding literary figures.  He is widely known for his writing focusing on Mexican history and for storylines which involve what is sometimes called the “supernatural,” a mode distinct from but related to Latin American literature’s famous “magical realism.”  He has published fifteen novels, two books of short stories, several books of essays, and has written fourteen plays, most of which have been performed professionally.  Several of his novels have been bestsellers in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries.  His writing has received numerous literary awards.  Five of his novels have been translated and published in English, as has one of his plays.  Solares currently directs two prestigious literary magazines in Mexico City, hosts a television program on public life in Mexico, and has held important administrative positions at UNAM, Mexico’s largest university, where he has made significant contributions to the arts and culture of the University, Mexico City, and Mexico as a whole.

Timothy Compton is a professor of Spanish at Northern Michigan University.  He has studied and published extensively on Mexican theatre, and has published several translations of works by Ignacio Solares and Peruvian writer Ricardo Palma.