"Arana has achieved the impossible... LatinoLand is indispensable, unforgettable. A work of prophecy, sympathy and courage.”
–Junot Díaz, Pulitzer Prize winner
“Meticulously researched, the book’s greatest strengths are the power of its epic narrative, the beauty of its prose and its rich portrayals of character. . . . a marvelous book.” ~The Washington Post
Bolívar’s life is one of history’s most dramatic canvases, a colossal narrative replete with adventure and disaster, victory and defeat.
“American Chica transports us far beyond the conventional boundaries of ethnic memoir; with great delicacy, Arana helps us understand why the marriage of the Americas is as difficult as it is inevitable”.
–National Book Award
“Erotic, catastrophic . . . Arana’s novel of taboo passion, tragic misperception, and life’s hidden dimensions is as shattering as it is seductive.”
Marie Arana has created a rich, boisterous saga about a remarkable family, a wondrous invention, and a powerful collision between science, magic, and faith.
“Monumental, stupendous. . . . a must-read for anyone who wants to understand this hemisphere.”
~Julia Alvarez
“Meticulously researched, the book’s greatest strengths are the power of its epic narrative, the beauty of its prose and its rich portrayals of character. . . . a marvelous book.”
~The Washington Post
“A lively and learned account of Latin America, ingeniously structured.”
~The New York Times
A major work of history, Bolivar colorfully portrays a dramatic life even as it explains the rivalries and turmoil that bedeviled Bolivar’s tragic last days.
“Finally, Bolivar gets the sweeping biography he deserves. He was the greatest leader in Latin American history, and his tale is filled with lessons about leadership and passion. This book reads like a wonderful novel but is researched like a masterwork of history.” –Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs
Marie is a Peruvian-American author of nonfiction and fiction as well as the inaugural Literary Director of the Library of Congress. She is the recipient of a 2020 literary award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters. In 2024, she received the Leadership for the Americas Award from the Inter-American Dialogue at the Organization of American States (OAS).
Silver, Sword and Stone
News & Events
“Bolívar” is chosen as one of the top 10 books by Latinos in 2014.
NBC-News, a major television network in the U.S., has chosen Marie Arana’s “Bolívar” as one of the top 10 books of the year in 2014.…
Read MoreMarie’s review of José Saramago’s “Skylight”
Now, in a twist straight out of a Saramago novel, a traveler begins long after his life is over. “Skylight,” a manuscript penned in the 1940s and stranded in an editor’s drawer for almost 40 years, has just been published in translation. In it, we see what Saramago called “the green that preceded the harvest” — the beginning of his brilliant, Nobel Prize-winning career.
Read MoreMeet the Writer from Peru: Marie Arana
Journalist and author Marie Arana shares her experience with Girl Rising and what it was like getting to know Senna, the girl in the film’s Peru Chapter. In this video travelogue, Arana recounts meeting the girl with the “”warrior-like core”” in the near-vertical slum of La Rinconada and being moved by her. Born in Lima to a Peruvian father and an American mother, the author, editor and journalist is deeply engaged in both worlds. A writer of fiction and memoir, Arana has dedicated herself to explaining each culture to the other. Her commitment to Peru, and to the struggles of the disadvantaged there, permeates her work.
Read MoreNadine Gordimer reflects on her Writing Life. With a profile by Marie Arana.
Nadine Gordimer’s essay appeared in The Washington Post as part of Marie’s Book World series, “The Writing Life.” Scroll to the bottom to read Marie’s…
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