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Maria Espinosa

マリア・エスピノーサ

Maria Espinosa

Pen Names: Paula Cronbach（birth name）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1939-01-06 （Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.）
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Residence History
Long Island (grew up) → Paris (lived) → Northern California (long-term residence) → Albuquerque, New Mexico (current)

Career

Occupations
novelist, poet, translator, educator
Active Years
1967-
Affiliations
New College of California (teaching), City College of San Francisco (teaching), University of Adelaide (guest writer), Afghan Women's Writing Project (mentor)
Influenced By
John Hawkes, Anais Nin, Leonard Bishop

Education

Harvard University
Country: United States
Studied with John Hawkes at Harvard
Columbia University
Country: United States
Corresponded with Anais Nin while at Columbia
San Francisco State University
Creative Writing
Degree: M.A.
Country: United States
M.A. in creative writing (year unknown)

Awards

American Book Award
1996
Work: Longing
Organization: Before Columbus Foundation
Result: 受賞
PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award for Literary Excellence
2010
Organization: PEN Oakland
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Love Feelings

1967 Poetry

An early poetry collection featuring intimate, concise poems centered on emotional experience.

emotionpersonal memorylove

Night Music

1969 Poetry

A poetry collection that uses the motif of night to explore solitude and introspection.

solitudenightintrospection

Longing

1986 Novel

A novel exploring yearning and the search for belonging. Winner of the 1996 American Book Award.

lossbelongingdesire

Dark Plums

1995 Novel

A novel that portrays family, immigrant experience, and fragmented memories through multiple perspectives.

familyimmigrationmemory

Incognito: Journey of a Secret Jew

2002 Nonfiction / Memoir

Essays/memoir exploring Jewish identity and history in her life and surroundings.

identityJewishnesshistory

Dying Unfinished

2009 Novel

A novel addressing themes of incompletion and fragmentation, dealing with life, death, and the creative process.

life and deathcreationfragmentation

Suburban Souls

2020 Novel

A recent novel probing inner lives and relationships within suburban settings.

suburbiarelationshipsloneliness

Bibliography

  • Love Feelings (poetry, 1967)
  • Night Music (poetry, 1969)
  • Longing (novel, 1986)
  • Dark Plums (novel, 1995)
  • Incognito: Journey of a Secret Jew (2002)
  • Dying Unfinished (novel, 2009)
  • Suburban Souls (novel, 2020)

Translations by Author

  • George Sand, Lélia (translation, Indiana University Press, 1982)
  • George Sand, STORY OF MY LIFE, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF GEORGE SAND (group translation, SUNY Women Writers in Translation, 1991)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyricalpersonal-experience-driven narrationfragmentary/experimental structure
Recurring Motifs
memoryidentitylonelinessmigration/boundaries

Legacy

Maria Espinosa is an American writer of poetry, novels, and translations, noted for works that examine memory, immigration, and identity. She has been recognized with awards including the 1996 American Book Award.

Trivia

  • Born Paula Cronbach.
  • Daughter of sculptor Robert Cronbach and poet Maxine Cronbach.
  • Married Mario Espinosa Wellmann while living in Paris; later married Walter Selig in 1978.
  • Has a daughter, Carmen Espinosa, who is a dancer and social worker.
  • Won the 1996 American Book Award for the novel Longing.