Gabino Iglesias
Gabino Iglesias | |
|---|---|
 Iglesias at the 2024 Texas Book Festival | |
| Born | |
| Alma mater | University of Puerto Rico University of Texas at Austin |
| Occupation | Author |
| Writing career | |
| Genre | Horror fiction |
| Notable awards | Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel (2022) Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel (2022) |
Movement | Barrio Noir |
Gabino Iglesias is an author of horror fiction, as well as an editor and literary critic. His novel The Devil Takes You Home won the Shirley Jackson Award and Bram Stoker Award. His fiction has been described as "barrio noir," often incorporating elements of noir fiction as well as political commentary about the border between the United States and Mexico.
Early life and education
[edit]Iglesias is from Puerto Rico. In 1999, he began writing a "basic story" about revenge. After the success of his novel The Devil Takes You Home, he developed this story into the novel The House of Bone and Rain, which was published in 2024.[1]
English is Iglesias's second language. In an interview with NPR, Iglesias stated "I didn't speak a word of it until I was, like, in sixth or seventh grade."[2] Iglesias moved to the mainland United States in 2008 and began writing in English at that time.[3]
Iglesias holds a bachelor's degree in business and an MA in Journalism from the University of Puerto Rico. He later graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a PhD in Journalism.[4][5]
Literary career
[edit]In an interview with Nightmare Magazine, Iglesias stated that he first began to read bizarro fiction in about 2007. His first published novel, 2012's Gutmouth, was part of the bizarro genre. He then wrote Zero Saints, which he described as a difficult and emotional task. When he needed a break, he wrote a "palate cleanser" which eventually became Hungry Darkness.[6]
His novels have been described as "barrio noir."[6] Ilana Masad wrote about Iglesias's 2022 novel The Devil Takes You Home and its relationship to noir fiction. Masad quotes Otto Penzler by stating that noir characters "are caught in the inescapable prisons of their own construction, forever trapped by their isolation from their own souls, as well as from society and the moral restrictions that permit it to be regarded as civilized." Masad then quoted Iglesias himself, who describes "barrio noir" as "any writing that walks between languages, borders, and cultures [and] that occupies a plethora of interstitial spaces and isn't afraid to engage with all religions and superstitions as well as to bring in supernatural elements." Masad further situated Iglesias's writing in the modern world, describing its relationship to migrant deaths at the U.S.-Mexico border, the curtailing of reproductive rights by the United States Supreme Court, and mass shootings, among other issues.[7]
As of 2022, Iglesias teaches creative writing at an online MFA program for Southern New Hampshire University.[8] In 2023, he joined the faculty of the UC Riverside Low Residency MFA Program as a Visiting Assistant Professor.[4]
Personal life
[edit]As of 2019, Iglesias is based in Austin, Texas.[6]
Bibliography
[edit]As author
- Gutmouth. Eraserhead Press. 2012. ASINÂ B00BEPHW88.
- Hungry Darkness. Severed Press. 2015. ISBNÂ 9781925342154.
- Zero Saints. Broken River Books. 2015. ISBNÂ 9780316584739.
- Coyote Songs. Broken River Books. 2018. ISBNÂ 9781940885490.
- The Devil Takes You Home. Mulholland Books. 2022. ISBNÂ 9780316426916.
- House of Bone and Rain. Mulholland Books. 2024. ISBNÂ 9780316427012.
Anthology appearances
- Steph Cha; Alafair Burke, eds. (2021). "Everything Is Going to Be Okay". The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021. Mariner Books. ISBNÂ 9780358525691.
- Vince A. Liaguno; Rena Mason, eds. (2022). Other Terrors: An Inclusive Anthology. William Morrow. ISBNÂ 9780358658894.
- S.D. Vassallo; Steven M. Long, eds. (2022). Were Tales: A Shapeshifter Anthology. Brigidâs Gate Press. ISBNÂ 9781957537153.
- Doug Murano, ed. (2022). "Haunted Inside". The Hideous Book of Hidden Horrors. Bad Hand Books. ISBNÂ 9780578287553.
- Mark Matthews, ed. (2022). "Holding On". Orphans of Bliss: Tales of Addiction Horror. Wicked Run Press. ISBNÂ 9781736695043.
- S.J. Rozan, ed. (2023). Crime Hits Home: A Collection of Stories from Crime Fiction's Top Authors. Hanover Square Press. ISBNÂ 9781335449474.
- Alan Lastufka; Kristina Horner, eds. (2023). "One Thing at a Time". Obsolescence: A Dark Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Anthology. Shortwave Media. ISBNÂ 9781959565000.
- Ai Jiang; Christi Nogle, eds. (2023). "Tiny Hearts in the Dark". Wilted Pages: An Anthology of Dark Academia. Shortwave Media. ISBNÂ 9781959565116.
- Christopher Golden; Brian Keene, eds. (2024). The Drive-In: Multiplex. Pandi Press. ASINÂ B0CW1BKT2F.
- Christopher Golden; Brian Keene, eds. (2025). "The Hope Boat". The End of the World as We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King's The Stand. Gallery Books. ISBNÂ 9781668057551.
As editor
- Gabino Iglesias, ed. (2020). Both Sides: Stories from the Border. Agora Books. ISBNÂ 9781947993877.
- Andrew Cull; Gabino Iglesias, eds. (2022). Found: An Anthology of Found Footage Horror Stories. Vermillion 2 One. ASINÂ B0BB6GQDW1.
- Andrew Cull; Gabino Iglesias, eds. (2024). Found 2: More Stories of Found Footage Horror. Vermillion 2 One. ISBNÂ 9780648731566.
Awards and honors
[edit]| Year | Work | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Coyote Songs | Bram Stoker Award | Collection | Nominated | [9] |
| 2019 | Locus Award | Horror Novel | Finalist | [10] | |
| 2020 | "Beyond the Reef" | Bram Stoker Award | Long Fiction | Nominated | [11] |
| 2022 | The Devil Takes You Home | Bram Stoker Award | Novel | Won | [12] |
| Shirley Jackson Award | Novel | Won | [13] | ||
| 2023 | Dragon Award | Horror Novel | Nominated | [14] | |
| Locus Award | Horror Novel | Finalist | [15] | ||
| Edgar Award | Best Novel | Finalist | [16][17] | ||
| 2024 | Found 2: More Stories of Found Footage Horror | Aurealis Award | Anthology | Finalist[a] | [18] |
| House of Bone and Rain | Bram Stoker Award | Novel | Nominated | [19] | |
| 2025 | Locus Award | Horror Novel | Finalist | [20] | |
| N/a | Ignyte Award | Critics Award | Finalist | [21] |
Notes
[edit]- â Nominated as editor; with Andrew Cull
References
[edit]- â Matthew Jackson (9 Aug 2024). "Gabino Iglesias Talks Building a Horror Mythos In House of Bone and Rain". Paste. Retrieved 4 Sep 2025.
- â Ayesha Rascoe (11 Aug 2024). "Gabino Iglesias on his book 'House of Bone and Rain'". NPR. Retrieved 4 Sep 2025.
- â Janelle Janson (24 Jul 2023). "Author Interview: Gabino Iglesias". Dark Matter Magazine. Retrieved 4 Sep 2025.
- 1 2 "Prize-Winning Author Gabino Iglesias Joins Faculty". palmdesertmfa.ucr.edu. September 22, 2023. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
- â "Where He Goes, His Barrio Goes: An Interview with Author Gabino Iglesias". Pop Matters. September 5, 2019. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
- 1 2 3 Lisa Morton (May 2019). "Interview: Gabino Iglesias". Retrieved 4 Sep 2025.
- â Ilana Masad (6 Aug 2022). "'The Devil Takes You Home' invites readers to consider the depths of darkness". NPR. Retrieved 7 Sep 2025.
- â Daniel A. Olivas (23 Nov 2022). "Three Questions for Gabino Iglesias Regarding His Novel "The Devil Takes You Home"". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 24 Jan 2026.
- â "2018 Stoker Awards Winners". Locus. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 5 Sep 2025.
- â "2019 Locus Awards Finalists". Locus. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 7 Sep 2025.
- â "2020 Stoker Awards Winners". Locus. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 5 Sep 2025.
- â "2022 Stoker Awards Winners". Locus. 19 Jun 2023. Retrieved 5 Sep 2025.
- â "2022 Shirley Jackson Awards Winners". Locus. 15 Jul 2023. Retrieved 7 Sep 2025.
- â "2023 Dragon Awards, Julie Award, and Mike Resnick Memorial Award Winners". Locus. 6 Sep 2023. Retrieved 7 Sep 2025.
- â "2023 Locus Awards Winners". Locus. 25 June 2023. Retrieved 7 Sep 2025.
- â "2023 Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominations". edgarawards.com. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- â "Gabino Iglesias". lutyensrubinstein.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- â "2024 Aurealis Award Winners". Locus. 5 May 2025. Retrieved 7 Sep 2025.
- â "2024 Stoker Awards Winners". Locus. 16 Jun 2025. Retrieved 5 Sep 2025.
- â "2025 Locus Awards Winners". Locus. 21 Jun 2025. Retrieved 13 Jul 2025.
- â "2025 Ignyte Award Winners". Locus. 13 Oct 2025. Retrieved 5 Jan 2026.
