Amaurea in 2025
As 2025 comes to a close, we wanted to share a snapshot of what the past twelve months have looked like for Amaurea – a year shaped by new publications, public events, international conversations, and some genuinely heartening moments of recognition.
New Books in 2025
This year saw the publication of five new titles, each very different in form and voice, but united by Amaurea’s commitment to distinctive, uncompromising work and engaging storytelling.
Anima Fatua by Cuban writer Anna Lidia Vega Serova, translated by Robin Munby, is an unsettling coming-of-age novel drawing on her experiences of growing up in the late Soviet Union. One of the standout moments of the year was the book receiving a PEN Translates award from English PEN – a significant endorsement of both Anna Lidia’s writing and Robin’s translation, and a reminder of the vital role translation continues to play in bringing essential voices to new readers.
The year also saw the publication of Highlife, & my other lives, Richard Walker’s engaging memoir, telling the story of a life rich in travel, music and love. We also brought out a new edition of Richard’s novel, A Curious Child, innovative when first published in 1989 for being written from the perspective of a transgender person and her family.
In addition, we published two of Rodney Quinn’s plays (Birds Still Fly and Over The Top), collected in Two Plays of War and Peace; and released a new Spanish-language edition of Anna Lidia Vega Serova’s short story collection, Imperio doméstico.
Together, these publications reflect the range of Amaurea’s interests, and our ongoing engagement with both English- and Spanish-language literature.
Book Fairs and Public Presence
In 2025, Amaurea also stepped more visibly into the world of book fairs and live events. We were delighted to take part in the London Spanish Book Fair, presenting our growing Spanish-language list, as well as the Oxford Indie Book Fair, where it was encouraging to connect with fellow independent presses and readers alike.
It was at the Oxford Indie Book Fair that we launched our new edition of A Curious Child. Earlier in the year, Highlife, & my other lives was launched at Stanfords bookshop in Covent Garden, London – a warm, well-attended evening, at which Richard shared his experiences of life, music and travel.
Taking advantage of Anna Lidia Vega Serova’s presence in Europe, where she was touring between Spain, Portugal, France and Slovenia, Anima Fatua was launched at Desperate Literature bookshop in Madrid. She and Robin Munby read selections from the book, in both Spanish and English, followed by a conversation about her writing. While visa difficulties sadly made it impossible for her to visit Britain this time, we were very glad to be able to celebrate the book with readers on the continent – and we very much hope that a UK visit will be possible in the future.
Substack and Newsletter Launches
This year also saw Amaurea expand its digital presence. We launched the Amaurea Substack, beginning with the serialisation of the opening part of Lisa St Aubin de Terán’s The Hobby, alongside regular posts about our books, authors and wider literary interests.
We have also now started a monthly Amaurea newsletter, designed as a simple way for readers to stay in touch with new releases, events and projects as they develop. If you haven’t already subscribed, we hope that you will consider doing so. You can sign-up via this link.
Film, Festivals and China Connections
Beyond publishing, 2025 was also a major year for Amaurea’s film and moving-image work. With Ash based in Beijing, Amaurea continued to develop creative relationships in China, alongside ongoing experiments in AI-assisted animation and short-form visual storytelling.
Ash’s short film First Second won Best Film at the Mainframe Film Festival in Beijing, a particularly gratifying moment in a year of steady creative development. Ash also curated the short-film programme for the St Andrews Film Festival, and remains closely involved with the Festival. This year’s edition, held in November at the newly refurbished New Picture House, marked an exciting chapter for the Festival and for Amaurea’s continuing engagement with film exhibition and curation.
Through such projects, Amaurea has continued to broaden its activities across publishing, film and digital work, building long-term collaborations with writers, translators and filmmakers along the way.
Looking Ahead
2025 has been a year of activity, connection and forward motion – across books, events, film and international collaboration. We move into 2026 with new projects already underway, and with gratitude to everyone who has read, attended, supported and shared our work along the way.
Keep an eye out for our next post, which will bring you news of the projects that will be shaping the year ahead.