Bookworm
Valeria Luiselli: The Story of My Teeth
Originally commissioned to write a novel for Jumex, a Mexican beverage company and supporter of the arts, Luiselli instead chose to write a novel for Jumex's factory workers.
By Michael Silverblatt • • 29m ListenValeria Luiselli's latest book, The Story of My Teeth (Coffee House Press), had a very unique origin. Originally commissioned to write a novel for Jumex, a Mexican beverage company and supporter of the arts, Luiselli instead chose to write a novel for Jumex's factory workers. Using the nom de plume Gustavo Sanchez Sanchez, aka Carretera, she would write a chapter, have the workers read it, then write the next installments based on their feedback. For a story with an odd premise – an auctioneer saving up money to purchase Marilyn Monroe's teeth and have them implanted in his mouth – she found it interesting that her factory readers were mainly women.
Read an excerpt from The Story of My Teeth.
Photo: Alex Pieros
