The short story 'Vida', written in 1998 by Roberto Perez-Franco, illustrated by Margarita Cubino, appears in this English edition for Amazon, under the Zirie label, in alliance with Perezoso Editores. Available for free in electronic format on the author's website: www.roberto.au/vida

About the author: According to Eduardo Ritter Aislán, Roberto Joaquín Pérez-Franco is "a cultured writer" and "one of the most refined writers in Panama." Enrique Jaramillo Levi considers him "one of the most talented authors of recent generations." Melquíades Villarreal Castillo considers him "a mature writer, knowledgeable in his craft, which he practices with the patience and art of a goldsmith," "without a doubt, one of the best storytellers that Panama has." Pedro Crenes Castro describes him as "having a cultured and very reflective prose." Rodolfo de Gracia Reynaldo describes him as "a master of the mini-story."

About the story: Her most notable text, the story Vida, was described by the Jury of the 1999 José María Sánchez National Short Story Award as "a literary gem worthy of the most demanding anthology, for its human warmth, clarity, and formal excellence." Melquíades Villarreal Castillo has said that it is "one of the best stories ever written in Panama," adding that "it outlines, in a simple way, the essence of human existence." Enrique Jaramillo Levi describes it as "a kind of 'classic' of the new generations due to its intense human experience, narrated within an impeccable traditional structure and through the use of simple and highly precise language... a must-read for anyone who wants to know how to tell a story beautifully." Editor Mónica Mora (who is publishing Vida (2022) as a book, illustrated by Margarita Cubino, under the Perezoso Editores label) confesses that, after reading it for the first time, she thought it was "the most beautiful thing I had ever read in my life."