The River of Lost Voices: Stories from Guatemala (Iowa Short Fiction Award)

Winner of the 1998 Iowa Short Fiction Award, a national competition juried by the Iowa Writers' Workshop. The River of Lost Voices captures both the magic and sorrow of life in Santa Cruz Verapaz, a small town in the northern mountains of Guatemala. In each of his stories, Mark Brazaitis gives voice to Guatemala's indigenous population--people who speak Pokomchi and Cakchiquel, languages and cultures often buried in the crush of assimilation. Through their voices, the author uncovers tales of lives redeemed and lost in the tumult of history.