Caro De Robertis (born 1975) is a Uruguayan-American author and professor of creative writing at

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...

. They are the author of five novels and the editor of an award-winning anthology, ''Radical Hope'' (2017), which include essays by such writers as

Junot Diaz Junot is a French name that may refer to the following notable people: ;Given name *Junot Díaz (born 1968), Dominican American ;Surname * Laure Junot, Duchess of Abrantes (1784–1838), French writer * Jean-Andoche Junot, 1st Duke of Abrantès (17 ...

and

Jane Smiley Jane Smiley (born September 26, 1949) is an American novelist. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1992 for her novel ''A Thousand Acres'' (1991). Biography Born in Los Angeles, California, Smiley grew up in Webster Groves, Missouri, a s ...

. They are also well known for their translational work, frequently translating Spanish pieces.

Early life

Caro De Robertis is the child of two Uruguayan parents. They were born in England and moved throughout their childhood, following the scientific career of their father, Edward De Robertis. De Robertis later moved to Basel (Switzerland), until finally ending up in Los Angeles, California. Aged 19, De Robertis came out as bisexual, which they have described as the beginning of the process of their parents disowning them, which was complete by the time they were 25. Describing their relationship with their parents, they said, "They actually dug in their heels and tried to turn my siblings against my first child when I was pregnant with the first child. I use that example to say, it's not true that everybody comes around." They worked as a rape counselor and was very active in the

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...

LGBTQ+ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...

community for ten years in their 20s. De Robertis received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

in 1996. They also received a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University is a private college in Oakland, California and part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was ...

in 2007.

Career

De Robertis released their first book, ''The Invisible Mountain,'' in 2009. The novel was an international best-seller, being translated into 17 languages, including Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, French, Hebrew, and Chinese. It won best book for the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

'', ''O'', ''The Oprah Magazine'', and ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

''. It was also a finalist for the

California Book Award The Commonwealth Club of California is a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization based in Northern California. Founded in 1903, it is the oldest and largest public affairs forum in the United States. Membership is open to everyone. Ac ...

, an International Latino Book Award, and the VCU Cabell First Book Award. De Robertis' 2019 novel, ''Cantoras'', is set in 1970s Uruguay. Its five protagonists are all lesbians. The book was selected as a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' Editors’ Choice. It also won a

Stonewall Book Award The Stonewall Book Award is a set of three literary awards that annually recognize "exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience" in English-language books published in the U.S. They are sponsored by the Rainbow ...

, and a Reading Women Award, as well as being a finalist for the

Kirkus Prize The Kirkus Prize is an American literary award conferred by the book review magazine '' Kirkus Reviews''. Established in 2014, the Kirkus Prize bestows annually. Three authors are awarded each, divided into three categories: Fiction, Nonfiction ...

and a

Lambda Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature.The awards were instituted i ...

. In 2021, their novel ''The President and the Frog'' was published. The character of the President in the book is heavily influenced by

José Mujica José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano (; born 20 May 1935) is a Uruguayan politician, former revolutionary and farmer who served as the 40th president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. A former guerrilla with the Tupamaros, he was tortured and im ...

, the former President of Uruguay. Writing in ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...

'', Lily Meyer said that the book, "asks its readers to think seriously about the weight of taking political action, then suggests that they take it." In 2022, De Robertis became the 41st recipient of the

Dos Passos Prize The John Dos Passos Prize is an annual literary award given to American writers. The Prize was founded at Longwood University in 1980 and is meant to honor John Dos Passos John Roderigo Dos Passos (; January 14, 1896 – September 28, 1970) w ...

, awarded annually to an American author who American "experiments with form, explores a range of voices and deserves more recognition."

Personal life

De Robertis lives with their two children in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. They identify as

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

and

genderqueer Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...

. Describing their sexuality on the ''

LGBTQ&A ''LGBTQ&A'' is a podcast hosted by Jeffrey Masters and produced by '' The Advocate'' magazine in partnership with GLAAD. It features interviews with notable LGBTQ figures such as Pete Buttigieg, Laverne Cox, Janelle Monáe, Brandi Carlile, and R ...

'' podcast, De Robertis said, "The more words the better. So I'm a dyke, I'm a

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

... It's all good." De Robertis uses

they/them Singular ''they'', along with its inflected or derivative forms, ''them'', ''their'', ''theirs'' and ''themselves'' (or ''themself''), is a gender-neutral third-person pronoun. It typically occurs with an unspecified antecedent, in sentence ...

pronouns.

Works

Novels

* ''The Invisible Mountain'' (2009) * ''Perla'' (2012) * ''The Gods of Tango'' (2015) * ''Cantoras'' (2019) * ''The President and the Frog'' (2021) * ''The Palace of Eros'' (2024)

Translation

* "Trans: A Love Story" by Gabriela Wiener (2007) * ''Bonsai'' by

Alejandro Zambra Alejandro Andrés Zambra Infantas ( Santiago, Chile, b. September 24, 1975) is a Chilean poet, short story writer and novelist. He has been recognized for his talent as a young Latin American writer, chosen in 2007 as one of the " Bogotá39" (the ...

(2008) * "I Never Went to Blanes" by Diego Trelles Paz (2010) * ''The Neruda Case'' by

Roberto Ampuero Roberto Ampuero (born 20 February 1953 in Valparaíso, Chile) is a Chilean author, columnist, and the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, a position he held from March 11, 2018 to June 13, 2019. His first novel ''¿Quién mató a Krist ...

(2012) * "Tripych" by Raquel Lubartowski (2017)

Essays

* "42 Poorly Kept Secrets About Montevideo" for The Indiana Review (2006) * "Translating a Pablo Neruda Mystery" for

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

(2012) * "We Need the Real, Racist Atticus Finch" for the San Francisco Chronicle Book Review (2015) * "Why We Must Listen to Women" for the Easy Bay Express (2017)

Other

* "The Askers" for the

Virginia Quarterly Review The ''Virginia Quarterly Review'' is a quarterly literary magazine that was established in 1925 by James Southall Wilson, at the request of University of Virginia president E. A. Alderman. This ''"National Journal of Literature and Discussion" ...

(2009) * "On the Brink of Words" for the 580 Split (2009) * "For Orlando" for the

(2016) * "The Tango Police" for

CNET ''CNET'' (short for "Computer Network") is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. ''CNET'' originally produced content for radio and televi ...

's ''Technically Literate'' Series (2017) * ''Radical Hope'' (2017)

Honors and awards

* 2022:

John Dos Passos Prize The John Dos Passos Prize is an annual literary award given to American writers. The Prize was founded at Longwood University in 1980 and is meant to honor John Dos Passos John Roderigo Dos Passos (; January 14, 1896 – September 28, 1970) ...

* Terrific Read from ''

O, The Oprah Magazine ''O, The Oprah Magazine'', also known simply as ''O'', is an American monthly magazine founded by talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Communications. Overview It was first published on April 19, 2000. , its average paid circulation was ...

'' (2009) * Rhegium Julii Prize (2010) * 2012 Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts * San Francisco Chronicle, the Best Books of 2015 *

(2016)

References

External links

http://www.carolinaderobertis.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:De Robertis, Carolina 1975 births Living people 21st-century American novelists American women novelists American LGBT writers Uruguayan women novelists Uruguayan novelists 21st-century Uruguayan writers American women essayists 21st-century American essayists 21st-century American women writers Stonewall Book Award winners 21st-century American LGBT people Non-binary writers