“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. Among her recent positions are: Director of the National Book Festival, the John W. Kluge Center’s Chair of the Cultures of the Countries of the South, and Writer at Large for the Washington Post. For many years, she was editor-in-chief of the Washington Post’s book review section, Book World.
Silver, Sword and Stone
News & Events
Marie visits the highest human habitation in the world
La Rinconada, a gold mine at 18,000 feet in Peru, is the subject of this probing article, titled “Dreaming of El Dorado.” Marie traveled there…
Read MoreArticle in El País
Marie’s comments on the Latin American “Boom” appeared in the Madrid newspaper El País on November 18. No fue un boom de escritores sino de…
Read MoreVirginia Quarterly Review
Marie has edited the Fall issue of the VQR (magazine published by UVA). Theme: “The Female Conscience,” featuring work by Jean Bethke Elshtain, Judith Warner,…
Read MoreMarie reviews Paul Auster
“You think it will never happen to you,” Paul Auster writes at the very start of this incandescent memoir. “That it cannot happen to you,…
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