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Marie Arana

マリー・アラナ

Marie Arana

Aliases: Marie Arana-Ward / Marie Arana Campbell

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
Lima, Peru
Nationality
Peruvian, American
Languages
English, Spanish
Residence History
Lima, Peru → Summit, New Jersey, USA → Washington, D.C., USA

Career

Occupations
Author (fiction & nonfiction), Editor, Journalist, Critic, Literary Director (Library of Congress, inaugural)
Affiliations
The Washington Post (former Book World editor-in-chief, Writer at Large), Library of Congress (Inaugural Literary Director / Literary Advisor), Authors Guild Foundation (President of the Board), PEN America (Board of Trustees), American Writers Museum (Board of Directors), National Book Critics Circle (former Board member)

Education

Northwestern University
Russian (Department)
Degree: B.A.
Country: United States
Member of Delta Gamma; reported to have been Homecoming Queen (citation needed).
University of Hong Kong
Linguistics (M.A. program)
Degree: M.A.
Country: Hong Kong
Earned an M.A. in linguistics.
Yale University (certificate)
China studies (scholarship/certificate)
Country: United States
Certificate of scholarship in China-related studies.

Awards

Christopher Award for Excellence in Editing
1986
Organization: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Result: 受賞
National Book Award (Finalist)
2001
Work: American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood
Category: 回想録 / ノンフィクション
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: ファイナリスト
PEN/Martha Albrand Award (Memoir, Finalist)
2001
Work: American Chica
Category: 回想録
Organization: PEN America
Result: ファイナリスト
Center for Fiction John Sargent Award
2006
Work: Cellophane
Category: デビュー長編
Organization: Center for Fiction
Result: 受賞
Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Biography)
2014
Work: Bolívar: American Liberator
Category: 伝記
Organization: Los Angeles Times
Result: 受賞
American Library Association Top of the List (Best Nonfiction)
2019
Work: Silver, Sword, and Stone: Three Crucibles in the Latin American Story
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: American Library Association
Result: 選出（ベストブック）
American Writers Museum Friend of the Writer Award
2019
Organization: American Writers Museum
Result: 受賞
Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence (Longlist)
2020
Work: Silver, Sword, and Stone
Organization: Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence
Result: ロングリスト
American Academy of Arts and Letters Literature Award
2020
Category: 文学
Organization: American Academy of Arts and Letters
Result: 受賞
Library of Congress Award for Superior Service
2021
Organization: Library of Congress
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood

2001 Memoir / Nonfiction

A memoir recounting a bicultural childhood between Peru and the United States, exploring family history and identity.

Bicultural identityFamily historyIdentity
Translations
  • various translations

Cellophane

2006 Fiction (satirical novel)

A satirical novel set in the Peruvian Amazon, examining social and cultural dynamics.

Colonial legacyPower and corruption
Translations
  • translated into other languages

Lima Nights

2009 Fiction

A novel set in Lima that portrays Peruvian society and personal conflicts.

Urban underworldSocial stratification
Translations
  • Spanish edition (2013)

Bolívar: American Liberator

2013 Biography / Nonfiction

A biography of Simón Bolívar detailing his life, achievements, and the independence movements in Latin America.

Independence movementsLeader's complexitiesExamination of colonialism
Translations
  • Spanish edition 'Bolívar: Libertador Americano'

Silver, Sword, and Stone: Three Crucibles in the Latin American Story

2019 Nonfiction / History & cultural analysis

A cultural and historical analysis of Latin America through three crucibles—silver, force, and stone (religion/culture).

Impact of colonialismRole of economy and religionHistorical narrative and interpretation
Translations
  • Spanish edition (2019)

LatinoLand: A Portrait of America’s Largest and Least Understood Minority

2024 Nonfiction / Social commentary

A portrait of the diverse and complex Latino community in the United States, using a series of vignettes to reassess American society.

Ethnicity and identityImmigration and integrationCultural diversity

Bibliography

  • American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood (2001)
  • Cellophane (2006)
  • Lima Nights (2009)
  • Bolívar: American Liberator (2013)
  • Silver, Sword, and Stone: Three Crucibles in the Latin American Story (2019)
  • LatinoLand: A Portrait of America’s Largest and Least Understood Minority (2024)
  • Editor: The Writing Life: Writers on How They Think and Work (2002)

Adaptations

  • Girl Rising (contributed script for Latin American segment)

Translations of Works

  • Lima Nights (Spanish edition, 2013)
  • Bolívar: American Liberator (Spanish edition, 2019)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Memoiristic and lyrical narrationBlending of historical fact and narrativeArgumentative and persuasive nonfiction
Recurring Motifs
Bicultural identityLegacy of colonialismPortraits of leaders and power

Legacy

Marie Arana is recognized for writing from a bicultural Peruvian–American perspective, contributing influential memoirs, biographies, and cultural criticism. Through leadership roles at literary institutions and the Library of Congress, and award-winning books, she has had significant public and scholarly impact. Some recent works have provoked debate over interpretations of colonial history.

Academic Societies

  • Literary Society of Washington (President)
  • PEN America (Board)
  • National Book Critics Circle (former Board member)

Trivia

  • Reportedly a member of Delta Gamma at Northwestern and said to have been Homecoming Queen (citation needed).
  • Sometimes credited as Marie Arana-Ward.