Aristotle and Dante Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Aristotle and Dante Collection |
- |
N/A |
| Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe |
2012 |
Buy |
| Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World |
2021 |
Buy |
| Aristóteles e Dante Mergulham nas Águas do Mundo |
2021 |
N/A |
Non-Fiction#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Finding Your Literary Voice |
1999 |
Buy |
Picture Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| A Gift from Papá Diego |
1988 |
Buy |
| A Perfect Season for Dreaming / Un tiempo perfecto para soñar |
2008 |
Buy |
| The Dog Who Loved Tortillas |
2009 |
Buy |
| The Story of Me |
2019 |
Buy |
Poetry Collections#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Calendar of Dust |
1991 |
Buy |
| Flowers for the Broken |
1992 |
Buy |
| Dark and Perfect Angels |
1995 |
Buy |
| Elegies in Blue |
2002 |
Buy |
| Dreaming the End of War |
2006 |
Buy |
| The Book of What Remains |
2010 |
Buy |
| Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club |
2012 |
Buy |
| The Last Cigarette on Earth |
2017 |
Buy |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Carry Me Like Water |
1995 |
Buy |
| The House of Forgetting |
1997 |
Buy |
| In Perfect Light |
2005 |
Buy |
| Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood |
2006 |
Buy |
| Names on a Map |
2008 |
Buy |
| He Forgot to Say Goodbye |
2008 |
Buy |
| Last Night I Sang to the Monster |
2009 |
Buy |
| The Inexplicable Logic of My Life |
2017 |
Buy |
Benjamin Alire Saenz writes across multiple forms — novels, young adult fiction, poetry, picture books, and nonfiction. He grew up on the US-Mexico border in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and border life, Mexican-American identity, and the desert landscape run through nearly everything he writes. His Aristotle and Dante series, beginning with Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2012), became one of the most celebrated YA novels of the 2010s.
His adult fiction includes literary novels like Carry Me Like Water, In Perfect Light, and Names on a Map. He’s also published eight poetry collections, with Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club winning the PEN/Faulkner Award. His picture books for children (A Gift from Papa Diego, A Perfect Season for Dreaming) share the same border setting as his adult work, bringing bilingual stories to young readers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has Benjamin Alire Saenz written?
Benjamin Alire Saenz has written 25 books across five series.
What was Benjamin Alire Saenz's first book?
Benjamin Alire Saenz’s first book is A Gift from Papá Diego, published in 1988.
What awards has Benjamin Alire Saenz won?
Benjamin Alire Saenz has won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the American Book Award, and the Lambda Literary Award. His Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe won the Stonewall Book Award and a Printz Honor. His poetry collection Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club won the PEN/Faulkner Award in 2013.