Author Benjamin Alire Sáenz died on 28 July aged 71 after a long illness. Sáenz had recently completed a new book, When the World Was Happy, which is due to be released in September. - Advertisement -Benjamin Alire Sáenz photographed by Larry D. Moore at the 2016 Texas Book Festival in Austin. Over the course of his career, Sáenz published five poetry collections, two short story collections, three adult novels, six young adult novels and four children’s books. Just four years later, he released his best-known book, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.