ABC-7 Xtra: Borderland author’s work earns critical acclaim

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- ABC-7 Sunday Xtra sits down with acclaimed El Paso author, Benjamin Alire Saenz.

Saenz is a former UTEP professor. He is the first Hispanic winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and American Book Award.

Most recently, Saenz received the 2023 Texas Medal of Arts award in the literary arts category.

Raised on a 20-acre farm in Las Cruces, Saenz first earned notoriety for his poetry, winning the American Book Award.

But it is his work for his novel 'Aristotle and Dante Discover the Universe' that earned him Time Magazine's 100 Best Young Adult novels of all time.

He sold the movie rights to that book, which was turned into a movie, getting special attention from Hollywood and theatre greats like Lin-Manuel Miranda, a producer.

His sequel, Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World, also attracts critical acclaim.

This book is ranked number one on the New York Times best seller's list of young adult hardcover books.