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Nona Fernández

ノナ・フェルナンデス

Nona Fernández

Pen Names: Nona Fernández（Pen name used in literary work (birth name Patricia Paola Fernández Silanes)）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1971-06-23 （Santiago, Chile）
Nationality
Chile
Languages
Spanish
Residence History
Santiago, Chile → Barcelona, Spain

Career

Occupations
actress, author, screenwriter
Active Years
1994-
Affiliations
Merri Melodys (theatre company), La Fusa (theatre company, co-run with Marcelo Leonart), Pieza Oscura (theatre company)
Influenced By
Antonio Skármeta (workshop mentor)
Nominations
Altazor Award (TV Script) finalist (2000), Altazor Award (TV Script) finalist (2004), Altazor Award (TV Script) finalist (2010)

Education

Santa Cruz School
Country: Chile
Primary/secondary education
Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Theater School
Theatre
Country: Chile
Studied acting, theatre production and scriptwriting

Awards

Gabriela Mistral Literary Games (First place)
1995
Work: "Marsellesa"
Organization: Gabriela Mistral Literary Games organizers
Result: winner
Santiago Municipal Literature Award
2003
Work: Mapocho
Organization: Municipality of Santiago
Result: winner
Altazor Award (TV Script)
2006
Work: Los treinta
Category: TV脚本
Organization: Altazor Award
Result: winner (ex aequo)
Altazor Award (TV Script)
2008
Work: Alguien te mira
Category: TV脚本
Organization: Altazor Award
Result: winner (ex aequo)
Altazor Award (TV Script)
2012
Work: Los archivos del cardenal
Category: TV脚本
Organization: Altazor Award
Result: winner (ex aequo)
Altazor Award (Dramaturgy)
2013
Work: El taller
Category: 演劇
Organization: Altazor Award
Result: winner
National Council of Culture and the Arts Award (Best Novel, Published Works)
2016
Work: Chilean Electric
Organization: National Council of Culture and the Arts
Result: winner
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Prize
2017
Work: La dimensión desconocida (The Twilight Zone)
Organization: Awarded at Guadalajara International Book Fair / Universidad Iberoamericana
Result: winner
National Book Award for Translated Literature (Longlist)
2019
Work: Space Invaders (English translation)
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: longlisted
National Book Award for Translated Literature (Finalist)
2021
Work: La dimensión desconocida (The Twilight Zone, English translation)
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: finalist
Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction (Longlist)
2022
Work: The Twilight Zone (English translation)
Organization: American Library Association / Carnegie Medals
Result: longlisted

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Mapocho

2002 Novel

A novel that portrays Chile's biography and the role of official history in shaping identity through symbols and metaphors centered on the Mapocho river.

memoryhistoryurban identity

Av. 10 de Julio Huamachuco

2007 Novel

A work that represents childhood fears which often cross time barriers and continue to torment into adulthood.

childhoodfeartrauma

Space Invaders

2013 Novel (memoiristic / generational)

Dreams of a generation turned into nightmares; children who witnessed Pinochet's dictatorship and how those memories haunt them.

dictatorshipmemorychildhood
Translations
  • English translation 'Space Invaders' (translator: Natasha Wimmer)

La dimensión desconocida (The Twilight Zone)

2016 Novel

Set during the Chilean dictatorship, an agent of the secret service arrives to give a testimony that opens the doors to a hitherto unknown dimension of memory and violence.

testimonystate violencereconstruction of memory
Translations
  • English translation 'The Twilight Zone' (translator: Natasha Wimmer, Graywolf Press, 2021)

Chilean Electric

2015 Novel

A novel that explores family history and illuminates the darkness of Chilean history, including missing and murdered people.

family historydisappearancestate violence

Voyager

2023 Memoir / Non-fiction

A memoir that ties personal and collective memory to motifs of stars and space; translated into English.

memorytraumacosmic motifs
Translations
  • English translation 'Voyager' (translator: Natasha Wimmer, Graywolf Press, 2023)

Bibliography

  • El Cielo (short stories, 2000)
  • Mapocho (novel, 2002)
  • Av. 10 de Julio Huamachuco (novel, 2007)
  • Fuenzalida (2012)
  • Space Invaders (2013)
  • Chilean Electric (2015)
  • La dimensión desconocida (2016)
  • Voyager (2023)

Adaptations

  • Television series scripts/adaptations (e.g. El Laberinto de Alicia, Los archivos del cardenal, Alguien te mira)

Translations of Works

  • Space Invaders — English translation (Natasha Wimmer, Graywolf Press, 2019)
  • La dimensión desconocida — English translation 'The Twilight Zone' (Natasha Wimmer, Graywolf Press, 2021)
  • Voyager — English translation (Natasha Wimmer, Graywolf Press, 2023)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
fragmented, experimental narrationinterweaving personal and collective memoryuse of humor and black comedy
Recurring Motifs
memory and forgettingtraces of dictatorshipchildhood dreams and nightmarestestimony and retelling

Legacy

Nona Fernández is a leading contemporary Chilean author, also notable as a playwright and TV scriptwriter. Her work, linking personal memory and national history, has been translated and internationally recognized.

In Popular Culture

  • Known widely through TV scripts and stage works; several works have influenced Latin American popular culture.

Quotes

  • "Actress for fun. Narrator for being a nuisance, trying not to forget what should not be forgotten. An uncomfortable Chilean, and sometimes rabid."
    Source: Self-description (interview / public statement)

Trivia

  • Grew up as an only child.
  • Nicknamed 'Nona' in childhood because she often said 'no'.
  • Married to writer and theatre director Marcelo Leonart; they run a company together.
  • Works as a television scriptwriter to earn a living while publishing literary works.