Javier Zamora is the winner of the 2022 Christopher Isherwood Prize for
Autobiographical Prose for “Solito: A Memoir.” Sponsored by the
Christopher Isherwood Foundation, the award encompasses fiction, travel
writing, memoir and diary — and honors exceptional work. “Solito” is a
necessary memoir for our country and our time. In writing it, Zamora has
contributed to the larger canon of uniquely American stories. Chepito is
9-years old when he undertakes a journey across half a continent to find
his parents in the United States. Zamora’s enthralling, youthful voice
and poetic simplicity belie an unflinching narrative of migration,
terror, and beauty.