Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Latino Literary Trailblazer, Dies at 71

Benjamin Alire Sáenz, the first Latino writer to win the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction — one of America's top literary prizes — died July 28, 2026, in El Paso at 71 after a long illness. Simon & Schuster confirmed his death. His 2013 award honored "Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club." His YA novel earned Stonewall and Lambda awards. His final book, "When the World Was Happy," publishes next month.