Cockfight
María Fernanda Ampuero

Translated by Frances Riddle

'Ampuero’s literary voice is tough and beautiful at once: her stories are exquisite and dangerous objects.’
– Yuri Herrera, author of Signs Preceding the End of the World

'Brutal! Very intense.'
– Mariana Enríquez, author of Things We Lost in the Fire

Named one of the ten best fiction books of 2018 by the New York Times en Español, Cockfight is the debut work by Ecuadorian writer and journalist María Fernanda Ampuero.

In lucid and compelling prose, Ampuero sheds light on the hidden aspects of the home: the grotesque realities of family, coming of age, religion, and class struggle. A family’s maids witness a horrible cycle of abuse, a girl is auctioned off by a gang of criminals, and two sisters find themselves at the mercy of their spiteful brother. With violence masquerading as love, characters spend their lives trapped
re-enacting their past traumas.

Heralding a brutal and singular new voice, Cockfight explores the power of the home to both create and destroy those within it.

Praise for Cockfight

‘María Fernanda Ampuero’s voice is urgent, intimate, lyrical while never forgetting to cast humor during the darkest of violent moments. This is a writer of great power that the entire Americas will have to deal with for decades to come.’
—Ernesto Quiñonez, author of Bodega Dreams

‘A shudderingly powerful collection of short stories.’
– Lucie McKnight Hardy, author of Water Shall Refuse Them

‘Easily one of the most savage books I've ever read. This one burned all the way down and I fucking loved every second of it.’
– Matt Wesolowski, author of Six Stories

‘Grotesque, unflinching… a glaring view of the impact of misogynistic violence and oppression. This will appeal to fans of unrepentant feminist fiction.’
– Publishers Weekly

‘Ampuero writes with steely nerves and an ear for the beauty of simple, concrete language – not a word feels out of place.’
– Kirkus Reviews

'Unlike anything I’ve read before... definitely worth it for the visceral writing and haunting yet horrifying stories.'
– The F Word

‘Though not easy reading, these stories feel necessary: a vital turn against the tide of violence against women. Ampuero’s powerful writing – and Riddle’s translation – stops the horror from being overwhelming.’
– MsLexia

‘Edifying and horrifying in equal measure… A startlingly brilliant collection in an appropriately merciless translation; I highly recommend it.’
– Translating Women

‘Physical and sexual violence drive the narratives, and there’s no attempt to pull punches from the topics Ampuero engages socially and politically.’
– Ploughshares

‘These immensely powerful stories are completely worth the emotional pummelling: they are fiercely, brilliantly original, taking thought and language to places most writers would not dare to go.’
– Elspells

‘An investigation of domestic spaces, women’s bodies, and the meaning of a coming-of-age story, one that strips the male gaze and sees the world for how it is: ugly, grotesque, brutal.’
– Cleaver

‘Deftly written with spare, exacting prose, Ampuero has penned searing portraits of family life highlighting themes of violence and sexual abuse as a window into gender, class, and race analyses.’
– The Book Slut

‘Cockfight announces the arrival of a daring new voice, which like other recent feminist portrayals, refuses to neatly resolve the complexities of trauma, violence and oppression.’
– Full Stop

‘Wielded like a righteous cudgel against exploitative power, this Ecuadorian debut makes no bones about its intentions from the get-go… Ampuero fights dirty and, frankly, that's just the sort of writer we need.’
– Center for the Art of Translation

‘Through sparing prose and exacting detail, with no time for decoration or pomp, Ampuero delivers timeless feminist fiction that packs a punch and sticks with you like tar.’
– Sounds and Colors

About the Author

María Fernanda Ampuero is a writer and journalist born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, in 1976. Cockfight is her first work of fiction, and her first book to be translated into English.

About the Translator
Frances Riddle is a writer and translator based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Paperback ISBN: 9781910312810

Ebook ISBN: 9781910312827

Publication date: January 2021

Formats: Paperback / eBook