‘Like Water for Chocolate’ author to speak at FILEY

Mexican writer Laura Esquivel attends a press conference to present her 2014 book “A Lupita le gustaba planchar” (“Lupita Liked Ironing”) in Mexico City. Photo: Omar Torres / AFP / Getty Images

Fans of “Like Water for Chocolate,” the bittersweet 1989 novel of love and misunderstandings that saw its film adaptation in 1992, will have yet another reason to attend the FILEY book fair this year.

Author Laura Esquivel will discuss “Mi Negro Pasado” (“My Black Past”) 7 p.m. Saturday, March 17 at the Salón Ek Balam. The novel, published in November, is the end of a trilogy that began with the nearly 29-year-old work of magical realism.

The author began her career as a film teacher and screenwriter, was a member of the Mexican Congress in 2012, but has never left writing.

The first novel received the ABBY award in the United States, something that no author outside that country has achieved. It portrays the life of Tita, who shares her emotions through food. Her mother insists Tita must remain single even though she and Pedro are in love, so to be close Pedro decides to marry her sister.

Compelled to take care of her mother until she dies, Tita is only able to express herself through her cooking. Like the hugely successful film that follow it a few years later, food was a major component in the storyline.

“Como Agua Para Chocolate,” which is the original novel’s title in Spanish, has been translated into at least 30 languages. It was followed by “El Diario de Tita” in 2016, and also contains letters, recipes, photos and of course her passions.

In the last book, María, the protagonist, is at a breaking point. At the moment her grandmother Lucia takes her to Piedras Negras, where she discovers the healing power of food.

Laura Esquivel has already presented the book at the Guadalajara International Fair 2017, where she filled an auditorium.

The FILEY book fair returns to Yucatán for its 17th edition March 10-18 at the Siglo XXI Convention Center.

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