Publications - Iván Brave

BOOKS

Awake & Asleep: A Novel

WINNER OF THE 2022-23 SACI GRANT!
www.houstonartsalliance.com/grantees-2022

EXPERIENCE HOUSTON LIKE NEVER BEFORE:
Economic uncertainty, gruesome crime, and reproductive insecurity are overcome through friendship in Awake & Asleep.

Lunas и Moons: A multilingual voyage

Now with a foreword by Jonah Wardell of Roughest Drafts on YouTube!

Embark on a celestial journey with Lunas и Moons, a captivating chapbook that defies conventional poetry and pushes the boundaries of linguistic exploration. Alina Lugo of Revista Diáspora calls it “perfect for those willing to face discomfort and embrace the beauty of the unknown” (6 Dec 2024). Meanwhile, Argentine artist Meli Valdés Sozzani notes how the five experimental pieces contained within achieve “a harmony that goes beyond languages by choosing each word not only for its semantic value but also for its sound, for its connotations, alluding to that collective unconscious that transcends cultures” (24 Oct 2024).

Axel B

Fantastic mix of captivating poems and short stories

Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2024

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“A short, yet brilliant, composition of poems and short stories you can reread and discuss with your friends. Most chapbooks I see today are flooded with repetitive poems that have been written many times over using the same boring styles. This book contains a unique approach and the use of different languages sprinkled throughout each piece. I shared it with my book club and had a blast workshopping the stories and making sense of the interesting characters. My favorite was the last story, though all are addictive to read and interpret. You can easily finish it in under 50 minutes so it’s great to read anywhere.”

They Lived They Were at Brighton Beach – a story about the power to move on.

Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews

Magnificent story!!

Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2020

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“Brave pens a remarkable story in They Lived They Were at Brighton Beach. I have read this author’s work before, and I really enjoyed it. The characters were intense, raw and very real. It was an exciting story that came to life by almost jumping off the pages. Ilya is a great character, filled with flaws and is definitely human. The journey of Ilya’s life is rocky and tumultuous, but intriguing. A very well-written story, and I enjoyed it. This story was not only interesting and kept the reader guessing, but also an inspiring story in its own way. The title drew me in, but the story made me stay. The author’s technique of intense characters and great plotlines is a gift. I look forward to reading many more stories by this author.”

The Summer Abroad – After graduating college, Mikaíl faces two options: Grow up or go to Europe. Which would you choose? Follow three best friends on a backpacking adventure that leads to one of them staying behind, one of them disappearing, and another to discovering his destiny.

Ginger Webster

Brilliantly written

Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2019

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“This is a brilliantly written book. Admittedly it is not one that I would normally pick up and much is out of my comfort zone. I imagine some may not appreciate reading about the summer European experience of a young man who just finished college. And, others may not relate, approve or understand. I know some may find parts to be distasteful. But none of that should matter. “The Summer Abroad” has what I want in a good book. Appreciate the raw appeal of the writing! It took me into a world that I do not know. I was entertained, perplexed and challenged. I was captured by the pacing and brilliance of every word. I felt I was there. Mark my words, Ivan Brave is someone to follow. He is a very talented young author.”

PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES

“Ficción de campus hoy,” Intersecciones Hispánicas, No. 2 (print, digital), 2025

“El valor de la ceniza: Posicionando el nuevo poemario de Ariel Dorfman dentro de su ya magno catálogo literario,” XXIX Congreso Internacional de Literatura y Estudios Hispánicos (San Juan), 2022

NOVELS

Awake & Asleep: A novel, Kindle Direct Publishing (print), 2025

They Lived They Were at Brighton Beach, Kindle Direct Publishing (print, ebook), 2020

The Summer Abroad: el viaje de egresados, Kindle Direct Publishing (print, ebook), 2018

FICTION

“Wajdan,” flash fiction in Every Day Fiction (online), 2024

“You Never Told Sam,” novel excerpt in Black Works (online), 2024

“Kurt Cobain,” micro fiction in Rue Scribe (online), 2024

“IVF,” micro fiction in New Flash Fiction Review (forthcoming), 2024