Exploring queer themes and Chicano life, he became a bard of the U.S.-Mexico border

Benjamin Alire Sáenz, who has died at 71, was the first Latino to win the PEN/Faulkner. His YA novel “Aristotle and Dante” brought him international fame. Benjamin Alire Sáenz, who has died at 71, was the first Latino to win the PEN/Faulkner. His YA novel “Aristotle and Dante” brought him international fame.