Bárbara Mujica is an American scholar, novelist, short story writer, and literary critic. She is an Emeritus Professor of Spanish at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

Early life and education

Mujica attended the

University of California at Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

for her undergraduate education, and studied French literature. She then attended

Sorbonne University Sorbonne University (french: Sorbonne Université; la Sorbonne: 'the Sorbonne') is a public research university located in Paris, France. The institution's legacy reaches back to 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de Sorbon ...

for graduate study in French, and completed her doctorate at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

in Spanish literature, with Antonio Regalado as her dissertation advisor.

Career

Her writing career began with writing short stories, and she also taught Spanish literature. Mujica was on the board of directors for the '' Washington Review'' from 1994 through 1998. In the late 1990s, Mujica developed a draft for what became the biographical novel ''Frida'', based on the life of

Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, ...

, which was first published in 2001 and has since been translated into 18 languages. In 2007, she published the historical novel '' Sister Teresa'', about the woman who became Saint

Teresa of Ávila Teresa of Ávila, OCD (born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada; 28 March 15154 or 15 October 1582), also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Spanish Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer. Active during th ...

, and the book was translated into Spanish in 2017. Her next novel, ''I am Venus'', a fictional biography of the model for the '' La Venus del espejo'' painting by

Diego Velázquez Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptized June 6, 1599August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. He was an individualistic artist of th ...

, was published in 2013. Her novel ''Miss del Rio'', published in 2022, is about the life of the movie star

Dolores del Río María de los Dolores Asúnsolo y López Negrete (3 August 1904 – 11 April 1983), known professionally as Dolores del Río (), was a Mexican actress. With a career spanning more than 50 years, she is regarded as the first major female Latin Am ...

. In 2019, an essay collection was published to honor her scholarly work, titled ''Women Warriors in Early Modern Spain: A Tribute to Bárbara Mujica''.

Selected works

Fiction

*''The Deaths of Don Bernardo'' (1990, novel) *''Sanchez across the Street and Other Stories'' (1997, short stories) *''Far from My Mother's Home'' (1999, short stories) *''Frida'' (2001, novel) *'' Sister Teresa'' (2007, novel) *''I Am Venus'' (2013, novel) *''Imagining Iraq'' (2021, short stories) *''Miss del Río'' (2022, novel)

Nonfiction

*''Women Writers of Early Modern Spain: Sophia's Daughters'' (

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

Press, 2004) *''Espiritualidad y feminismo: Santa Teresa de Jesus'' (Ediciones del Orto, 2007) *''Teresa de Avila, Lettered Women'' (

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

Press, 2009) *''Shakespeare and the Spanish Comedia'' (Bucknell University Press 2013) *''A New Anthology of Early Modern Spanish Theater: Play and Playtext'' (

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous. , Yale Universi ...

2014) *''Women Religious and Epistolary Exchange in the Carmelite Reform: The Disciples of Teresa de Avila'' (2020).

References

External links

*
Georgetown University faculty profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mujica, Barbara Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) University of California alumni New York University alumni 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American women novelists Georgetown University faculty 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers American women academics