Gabriela Cabezón Cámara (
San Isidro, Buenos Aires
San Isidro is a city in Greater Buenos Aires. It is located 27.9 km from the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA). It ranks as the province's most affluent neighborhood.
History
In 2007, San Isidro celebrated its 300 years of existence wit ...
, 4 November 1968) is an
Argentine
Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
writer and journalist. She is considered one of the most prominent figures in contemporary
Argentine
Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
and
Latin American literature
Latin American literature consists of the oral and written literature of Latin America in several languages, particularly in Spanish, Portuguese, and the indigenous languages of Latin America. Latin American literature rose to particular pro ...
, apart from being a well-known intellectual, and a
feminist and environmentalist.
She has published three novels, but is best known for her debut with ''
La Virgen Cabeza'' (2009), which gained her literary recognition and laid the foundations of her style.
It was translated into English by
Frances Riddle
Frances Riddle (born in Raleigh, North Carolina. Grew up in Houston, Texas) is an American-born literary translator, specializing in the translation of contemporary Latin American literature into English.
She has a BA in Spanish Language and Lite ...
as ''Slum Virgin'' and published by
Charco Press.
This translated version was shortlisted for the Silverio Cañada Memorial Prize at the Gijón Noir Week in Spain and chosen as book of the year by ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' magazine in Argentina in 2009.
Her other two novels are: ''
The Adventures of China Iron'' (2017), which interpreted
Gaucho literature
Gaucho literature, also known as gauchesco ("gauchoesque") genre was a literary movement purporting to use the language of the gauchos, comparable to the American cowboy, and reflecting their mentality. Although earlier works have been identified a ...
from a feminist and queer point of view—the English version of which was shortlisted for the 2020
International Booker Prize
The International Booker Prize (formerly known as the Man Booker International Prize) is an international literary award hosted in the United Kingdom. The introduction of the International Prize to complement the Man Booker Prize, as the Boo ...
—
and ''Las niñas del naranjel'' (2023), about the historical figure of
Monja Alférez and the
Conquest of the Americas, which obtained the Ciutat de Barcelona award in Spanish-language literature.
[
Her articles have been published in various media outlets, such as ', '' Anfibia'',] '' Le Monde diplomatique'', and '. She also worked as the editor of the Culture section of Argentine newspaper Clarín. She is currently the head of the chair of the CINO Writing Workshop of the Creative Writing Course at the National University of the Arts. One of her students is Argentine writer and journalist Belén López Peiró, who writes about her experiences with child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in Human sexual activity, sexual activit ...
.
Furthermore, she received a scholarship as a writer-in-residence at UC Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...
in 2013. She is a co-founder of the feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
movement ''Ni una menos
Ni una menos (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Not one oman
Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...
less") is a Latin American Fourth-wave feminism, fourth-wave grassroots feminist movement, which started in Argentina and has spread across several Latin American countries, that camp ...
''.
Early life and education
Gabriela Cabezón Cámara was born on 4 November 1968 in San Isidro, Buenos Aires
San Isidro is a city in Greater Buenos Aires. It is located 27.9 km from the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA). It ranks as the province's most affluent neighborhood.
History
In 2007, San Isidro celebrated its 300 years of existence wit ...
Province, Argentina. She studied Humanities at the University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires (, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the second-oldest university in the country, and the largest university of the country by enrollment. Established in 1821 ...
.
Literary career
One of her first stories, ''La hermana Cleopatra'' (the first draft of what would become her first novel, '' La Virgen Cabeza''), appeared in 2006 in the anthology ''Una terraza propia'', from publishing company Norma Norma may refer to:
* Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
** Norma Lizbeth Ramos, a Mexican bullying victim
Astronomy
*Norma (constellation)
* 555 Norma, a minor asteroid
* Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral ...
.
In 2011, she published the novella
A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...
'' Le viste la cara a Dios'', about human trafficking, which became the first Spanish-language e-book to be chosen as the book of the year by '.
In 2009, publishing house Eterna Cadencia published Cabezón Cámara's first novel, '' La Virgen Cabeza''. The book was a rousing success with critics and the reading public alike. In 2013, she was awarded a scholarship as a writer-in-residence at UC Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...
. That same year, she published the graphic novel ''Beya (Le viste la cara a Dios)'', based on her short story of the same name and with illustrations by Iñaki Echeverría. It received a distinction from the Argentine Senate
The Honorable Senate of the Argentine Nation () is the upper house of the National Congress of Argentina.
Overview
The National Senate was established by the Argentine Confederation on July 29, 1854, pursuant to Articles 46 to 54 of the 185 ...
and the Buenos Aires City Legislature
The Buenos Aires City Legislature (, commonly known as the ) is the legislative power of the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is housed in the Buenos Aires City Legislature Palace, Legislature Palace (), an archite ...
for its impact on society. In 2014, she published her second novella, '' Romance de la negra rubia'', the last one in the "dark trilogy" (along with '' La Virgen Cabeza'' and '' Le viste la cara a Dios''), as referred to by critics.
She published her second novel, ''Las aventuras de la China Iron'', in 2017. Critics referred to it as having ''una prosa encantada y casi milagrosa'', referring to it as ''otra fundación'' of Argentine literature
Argentine literature, i.e. the set of literary works produced by writers who originated from Argentina, is one of the most prolific, relevant and influential in the whole Spanish speaking world, with renowned writers such as Jorge Luis Borges, Ju ...
. Moreover, the novel was chosen as one of the books of the year by the Spanish-language edition of ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' and by newspaper ''El País
(; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA.
It is the second-most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . is the most read newspaper in ...
''. Both Iona Macintyre and Fiona Mackintosh worked on its translation into English, which was published with the title ''The Adventures of China Iron'' by Charco Press. That translation was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize
The International Booker Prize (formerly known as the Man Booker International Prize) is an international literary award hosted in the United Kingdom. The introduction of the International Prize to complement the Man Booker Prize, as the Boo ...
in 2020. The jury for the award considered it a ''maravillosa reelaboración feminista y queer de un mito fundacional americano (…) con un lenguaje y una perspectiva tan frescos que cambian 180 grados la idea de lo que una nueva nación americana podría ser''. Its film adaptation was announced that very same year. In 2022, the book was one of the five finalists for the ''Prix Montluc Resistance et Liberté'' award.
In 2023, she published her third novel, ''Las niñas del naranjel'', about the historical figure of Monja Alférez, who was born a woman in Spain in 1592 and later, living as a man, took part in the Conquest of the Americas. In January 2024, she obtained the ''Ciutat de Barcelona'' award in Spanish-language Literature for this book.[
]
Style
Cabezón Cámara's fictional worlds are inhabited by slum-dwellers, human trafficking victims, and '' okupas''. Her literary plots are highly dynamic, and her narrators build their discourse outside the identity principle of unity. Thus, the characters change, both by contingency and by choice, and in an instant, they transform the definitive sign of their lives. Her novels are set in recognizable and violent places, and the main source and trigger of the story are news events and the crime genre.
Her protagonists include a trans woman who is a religious fanatic, a reporter on the police beat, and a victim of human trafficking for sexual exploitation. Due to the mix of characters, social classes, and sexual identities, her literature is considered part of the ''queer
''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...
'' genre. Her narrative style blends content from reality (from slums to social networks) with expressions of classic literature
A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...
, the gaucho genre, slang
A slang is a vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in everyday conversation but avoided in formal writing and speech. It also often refers to the language exclusively used by the members of pa ...
, and a touch of black humor
Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
.
One of Cabezón Cámara's concerns when it comes to the suffering of others is what happens to women as objects of prostitution, which she describes as ''ser violada las 24 horas''. The main character of her novel '' La Virgen Cabeza'' goes to live in a slum where she finds love. On the other hand, it is worth noting that the reference to the ''Virgen'' is a vindication of the place of women, since the Church only legitimizes this image as a wife, mother, and defender of ''sus maridos: Dios, el papa, y el Espíritu Santo''. Consequently, we can say that her work questions the various social classes and the images which sustain the patriarchal culture. Also, that through her writings, she blends egalitarian relationships in public spheres and, later, their dissolution.
Influences
Among the main influences that defined her vocation and her style, Cabezón Cámara has mentioned Patricia Highsmith
Patricia Highsmith (born Mary Patricia Plangman; January 19, 1921 – February 4, 1995) was an American novelist and short story writer widely known for her psychological thrillers, including her series of five novels featuring the character T ...
, Rodolfo Walsh
Rodolfo Jorge Walsh (January 9, 1927 – March 25, 1977) was an Argentine writer and journalist of Irish descent, considered the founder of investigative journalism in Argentina. He is most famous for his '' Open Letter from a Writer to the Milit ...
, Néstor Perlongher
Nestor, or Néstor, is a given name of Greek origin. In Greek mythology it comes from that of Nestor, the son of Neleus, the King of Pylos and Chloris. The Greek derivation is from a combination of , and .
The name is also found in Russia, Portu ...
, and Osvaldo Lamborghini.
Personal life
On 7 March (Lesbian Visibility Day in Argentina) 2025, she announced her engagement to comic artist Maitena.
List of works
Novels
* '' La Virgen Cabeza'' (Eterna Cadencia, 2009) (published in English as ''Slum Virgin'' by Charco Press, 2017)
* '' Romance de la negra rubia'' (Eterna Cadencia, 2014)
* ''Las aventuras de la China Iron'' (Penguin Random House, 2017) (published in English as ''The Adventures of China Iron'' by Charco Press, 2019)
* ''Las niñas del naranjel'' (Penguin Random House, 2023)
Short fiction
* '' Le viste la cara a Dios'' (novella, Eterna Cadencia, 2011)
* ''Beya: Le viste la cara a Dios'' (graphic novel, illustrated by Iñaki Echeverría, Eterna Cadencia, 2013)
Notes
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabezon Camara, Gabriela
1968 births
Argentine women novelists
Living people
Lesbian novelists
Argentine feminists
Feminist writers
Argentine LGBTQ novelists
Writers from Buenos Aires
21st-century Argentine novelists
21st-century Argentine women writers
University of Buenos Aires alumni