Alexander Xavier Urpí

I am a writer of novels and short stories and have been published in The Lit Quarterly, Page & Spine, Wyldblood, and The Fall Line. I have been twice a finalist (on the short-list) for the OWT Short Fiction Prize (2018 and 2019). The arts are my passion, whether synesthetic in the written word, aural in the beauty of music, or visual in the photography of nature.

What do I write? A fusion! My short stories fuse together my study of Latin American, Russian and American Southern literature to craft fiction that immerses readers in magical realist, fantastic, and psychologically thrilling worlds through the internal struggles of my characters.

What do I read? I have an abiding love of classic literature, especially fantasy (Tolkien), the fantastic (Jorge Luis Borges), magical realism (Garcia Marquez), the American South (Faulkner), and Russia (Dostoevsky). Yet perhaps two of my favorite books are the adventurous Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo and Verne's 20,000 Leauges Under the Sea.

What do I enjoy? I relish the intense drama of Tchaikovsky, the struggle of Beethoven, the mysticism of Scriabin, or the sweetness of Debussy when I listen to their music or play their works on piano. I soak in brisk winter walks and the changing leaves of the fall during a hike, and the sight of a prince of the forest in autumn with his antlers grown out thrills me.