Lina Munar Guevara

Lina Munar Guevara is a Colombian writer and lawyer. She writes fiction about violence, exile and family. Her debut novel Imagina que rompes todo (2022) was shortlisted for the Sundial Literary Translation Award. The English translation, Imagine Breaking Everything (2026), was translated by Ellen Jones.

Munar Guevara was born in Bogotá in 1996. She studied law at Uniandes. After her degree, she worked on testimonies for Colombia Diversa. These were stories from LGBTQI victims of the armed conflict. She also worked as a translator for the Truth Commission. Later, she moved to San Remo, Italy, and translated for the Humanitarian Law Institute.

Munar Guevara then moved to New York. She enrolled in an MFA in Creative Writing at New York University. During her studies, she began writing her first novel.

Her debut, Imagina que rompes todo, was published by Himpar Editores in 2022. The novel follows Melissa Noriega, a teenager from Bogotá. Melissa lives with her aunt Anahí after leaving her old area. She moved away from Corpus Cristi, a tough place. Her mother left her behind years earlier. When her mother calls after six months, Melissa returns for a weekend visit. She must face her past and the violent person she used to be.

The novel is set over one rainy weekend. Melissa needs money to replace a printer she broke at school. She wants to graduate and move forward with her life. The novel opens with these words: "The worst thing about this story is that I had the money to replace the printer. I turned it into a tattoo, some earrings and a coin purse."

Critics praised Munar Guevara's ability to write a raw, honest narrator. Melissa is a rare female character who openly shows rage. She punches first to avoid becoming the victim. The novel uses Bogotá slang and captures youth violence.

Ellen Jones translated the novel into English for Peirene Press. The title became Imagine Breaking Everything. The book was published in the UK in November 2025. The US edition followed in April 2026.

Munar Guevara also writes short fiction. Her story In the Mountains appeared in the horror anthology Through the Night Like a Snake (2024). The book was published by Two Lines Press. It featured ten Latin American writers exploring horror and the unusual.

Munar Guevara lives in New York.

Photo credit: @linmunar