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Lina Meruane Boza

リナ・メルアネ・ボサ

Lina Meruane Boza

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1970 （Santiago, Chile）
Nationality
Chile
Languages
Spanish
Residence History
Santiago, Chile → New York, USA

Career

Occupations
Writer, Professor
Active Years
1997-
Influenced By
Roberto Bolaño

Education

New York University
Spanish-American Literature
Degree: 博士課程在学 / Doctorate studies
Country: United States
Doctorate studies in Spanish-American literature; studied and worked in the U.S.

Awards

Guggenheim Fellowship
2004
Work: Fruta podrida
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: 助成（フェローシップ）
Anna Seghers-Preis
2011
Organization: Anna Seghers Foundation
Result: 受賞
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Prize
2012
Work: Sangre en el ojo (Seeing Red)
Organization: Guadalajara International Book Fair (award)
Result: 受賞
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Fellowship/Grant
2010
Work: Sangre en el ojo (Seeing Red)
Organization: National Endowment for the Arts
Result: 助成
Institute of Chilean-Arab Culture Award
2015
Work: Volverse Palestina
Organization: Institute of Chilean-Arab Culture
Result: 受賞
Cálamo Another Look
2015
Work: Fruta podrida
Organization: Cálamo
Result: 受賞
Artists-in-Berlin Program (DAAD)
2017
Work: Sistema Nervioso (Nervous System)
Organization: Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)
Result: 助成
Premio Iberoamericano de Letras Jose Donoso
2023
Organization: Premio Iberoamericano de Letras Jose Donoso (award)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Fruta podrida

2007 Novel

A novel dealing with interpersonal relations and corporeality set in Latin American contexts; later adapted for the stage.

bodyviolencesocial marginalization
Adaptations
  • [Theatre] Un lugar donde caerse muerta / Not a leg to stand on / Martín Balmaceda (2012)
Translations
  • Translated into English and other languages

Sangre en el ojo

2012 Novel

A novel centered on anxieties and violence related to vision and the body; internationally known in its English translation 'Seeing Red'.

visionthe bodyviolence
Translations
  • English translation: Seeing Red (translated by Megan McDowell)

Sistema Nervioso

2019 Novel

A work that depicts anxiety, memory, and alienation through the body and the nervous system; published in English as 'Nervous System'.

nervous systemanxietymemory
Translations
  • English translation: Nervous System

Bibliography

  • Las infantas (1998)
  • Póstuma (2000)
  • Cercada (2000)
  • Fruta podrida (2007)
  • Sangre en el ojo (2012)
  • Viral Voyages (2012)
  • Volverse Palestina (2013)
  • Sistema Nervioso (2019)
  • Avidez (2024)

Adaptations

  • Un lugar donde caerse muerta / Not a leg to stand on — stage adaptation of Fruta podrida (directed by Martín Balmaceda)

Translations of Works

  • Sangre en el ojo → Seeing Red (English)
  • Sistema Nervioso → Nervous System (English)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
A style that incisively addresses social and political themesNarration that crosses the boundary between essay and fiction
Recurring Motifs
the body and the sensesdisease, virus, contagionidentity and exile (Palestinian background)

Legacy

Lina Meruane is one of the leading figures in contemporary Chilean literature, internationally recognized for work that intertwines themes of vision and the body with political and cultural issues. Her works have been translated into multiple languages and exert influence in both academic and creative circles.

Quotes

  • There is a generation of (Chilean) writers who promise to devour it all. At the head, clearly, two stand out. These are Lina Meruane and Alejandra Costamagna...
    Source: Roberto Bolaño (1999) (1999)

Trivia

  • Of Palestinian and Italian descent.
  • Niece of actress Nelly Meruane and comedian Ricardo Meruane.
  • Her work has been translated into more than 12 languages including English, Italian, Portuguese, German, French and Arabic.