Marie Arana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marie Arana
Marie Arana at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival
Born	Marie Arana Campbell Lima, Peru
Occupation	Author (fiction and nonfiction), Critic
Education	Northwestern University (BA) University of Hong Kong (MA)
Genre	American literature
Notable works	American Chica, Cellophane, Lima Nights, The Writing Life, Bolívar: American Liberator, Silver, Sword, and Stone: Three Crucibles in the Latin American Story, LatinoLand: A Portrait of America’s Largest and Least Understood Minority
Notable awards	American Chica—National Book Award Finalist 2001; PEN Memoir Award 2002 Cellophane: A Novel— John Sargent Award 2006 Bolívar: American Liberator — Los Angeles Times Prize for Biography 2014 Silver, Sword, and Stone — American Library Association Top Book of the Year 2019 LatinoLand — New Yorker, Top Twelve 2024, Essential Reading
Spouse	Wendell B. Ward, Jr. (1972–1998) Jonathan Yardley (1999–present)
Children	2

Marie Arana is a talented writer, editor, and journalist from Peru. She was also the first Literary Director of the Library of Congress, which is a very important library in the United States.

Early Life and Education

Marie Arana was born in Lima, Peru, in 1949. Her father was a Peruvian engineer, and her mother was American. When Marie was nine, her family moved to Summit, New Jersey.

She studied at Northwestern University, earning a degree in Russian. She also earned a master's degree in linguistics from Hong Kong University. Later, she studied in China through Yale University.

Before becoming a famous writer, Marie worked in book publishing. She became a senior editor at big companies like Harcourt Brace and Simon & Schuster.

Her Career and Books

For over ten years, Marie Arana was the editor-in-chief of "Book World." This was the book review section of The Washington Post newspaper. During this time, she helped create the annual National Book Festival. This festival is a big event where authors and readers celebrate books. It is held on the Washington Mall in partnership with the Library of Congress.

Marie Arana has written several important books. One of her most famous is American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood. This book is a memoir, which means it tells the story of her own life and growing up with two different cultures. It was a finalist for the 2001 National Book Award.

She also wrote Cellophane, a funny novel set in the Peruvian Amazon. Another novel, Lima Nights, was published in 2009.

In 2013, she published Bolívar: American Liberator. This book is a biography about Simon Bolivar, a famous leader who helped many South American countries gain freedom. This book won the 2014 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Biography.

Her book Silver, Sword, and Stone: Three Crucibles in the Latin American Story came out in 2019. It explores important moments in Latin American history. In 2024, she published LatinoLand: A Portrait of America’s Largest and Least Understood Minority. This book looks at the diverse lives of Latino people in America.

Marie Arana often speaks about Latin America and the book world. She has also been a judge for major literary awards like the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Her writings have appeared in many well-known magazines and newspapers.

Work at the Library of Congress

Marie Arana has had several important roles at the Library of Congress. In 2009, she was named a John W. Kluge Distinguished Scholar. She also joined the Scholars' Council and the Board of Directors for the National Book Festival.

In 2015, she became the Chair of the Cultures of the Countries of the South. Later, she was named Literary Advisor to the Librarian of Congress. In October 2019, she became the first Literary Director of the Library of Congress. This role meant she helped guide the library's literary programs and events.

Awards and Recognitions

Marie Arana has received many awards for her writing and contributions to literature.

• Christopher Award for Excellence in Editing, 1986
• National Book Award Finalist for American Chica, 2001
• PEN/Martha Albrand Award for Memoir Finalist for American Chica, 2001
• Center for Fiction John Sargent Award for Cellophane, 2006
• Northwestern University Alumna Award, 2009
• Los Angeles Times Book Award for Bolívar: American Liberator, 2013
• American Library Association Top Nonfiction Book of the Year for Silver, Sword, and Stone, 2019
• American Writers Museum, Friend of the Writer Award, 2019
• American Academy of Arts and Letters, Literature Award, 2020
• Library of Congress Award for Superior Service, 2021

See also

In Spanish: Marie Arana para niños