Patricia Engel

Patricia Engel
Engel at the 2023 Texas Book Festival
Engel at the 2023 Texas Book Festival
OccupationAuthor, professor, editor
Notable worksIt's Not Love, It's Just Paris
Vida
The Veins of the Ocean
Website
patriciaengel.com

Patricia Engel is a Colombian-American writer, professor of creative writing at the University of Miami,[1] and author of five books, including Vida,[2] which was a PEN/Hemingway Fiction Award Finalist and winner of the Premio Biblioteca de Narrativa Colombiana,[3] Colombia's national prize in literature. She was the first woman, and Vida the first book in translation, to receive the prize.[4]

She is also the author of It's Not Love, It's Just Paris,[5] and the novel The Veins of the Ocean,[6] which won the 2017 Dayton Literary Peace Prize.[7] The San Francisco Chronicle called Engel "a unique and necessary voice for the Americas."[8]

Early life and education

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Engel was born to Colombian parents who immigrated to the United States.[9] She was raised in New Jersey and attended public schools. She earned a bachelor's degree in French and Art History from New York University in 1999[10] and a Master of Fine Arts degree in fiction from Florida International University in 2007.[11]

She has studied in Paris and has taught creative writing at the University of Miami[12] and elsewhere.

Career

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Engel's work has appeared in The Sun, A Public Space, Harvard Review, and Kenyon Review, among many others, and has been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories 2017,[13] The Best American Mystery Stories 2014,[14] and more. She was awarded the Boston Review Fiction Prize in 2008[15] for her story "Desaliento," and was the recipient of a fellowship in literature from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2014.[16]

She frequently writes about immigration,[17] biculturalism,[18] and transnationalism[19] in both English and Spanish.[20]

Her first book, Vida, was a finalist for the 2011 Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award and the 2011 New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award.[21] In 2017, Vida received the Premio Biblioteca de Narrativa Colombiana,[22] Colombia's national prize in literature. Vida was named a New York Times Notable Book of 2010.[23] It also won a Florida Book Award[24] and an Independent Publisher Book Award,[25] and was named an NPR "Best Debut of the Year."[26]

Engel's debut novel, It's Not Love, It's Just Paris,[27] received the International Latino Book Award in 2014[28] and was praised by Edwidge Danticat, who said the novel contained one of her favorite passages in literature.[29] The love story, set in Paris at the turn of the millennium, was also praised by Roxanne Gay, writing for The Nation, who called it "an absorbing debut novel."[30]

Her novel The Veins of the Ocean was awarded the 2017 Dayton Literary Peace Prize[31] and named a New York Times Editors' Choice[32] and a San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year.[33] The novel follows Reina, a woman in her late twenties who is trying to come to terms with the sadness and guilt she feels after her brother Carlito's incarceration. He is sentenced to death in Florida for throwing his girlfriend's daughter, Shayna, off a bridge.

Engel's fourth book, Infinite Country, was an instant New York Times bestseller[34] and a Reese's Book Club pick in 2021.[35][36] Infinite Country won the 2021 New American Voices award[37] and was long listed for the 2022 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction[38] and the 2022 Dublin Literary Award.[39] In 2021, Infinite Country was also listed as a Big Read[40] by the National Endowment for the Arts.

In 2023, her fifth book, a story collection titled The Faraway World, was published. That year it was named a Notable Book of the Year by The Washington Post,[41] a Best Book of the Year by the Boston Globe,[42] and was longlisted for The Story Prize.[43] The Faraway World was also named a 2023 New York Times Editors' choice.[44]

Engel's short story, "Libélula" from The Faraway World, was published in Oprah Daily.[45]

Engel is a literary editor of the Miami Rail,[46] a quarterly publication providing critical coverage of arts, politics and culture. In 2019, she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in Fiction and an O. Henry Award for her story "Aguacero".[47]

In 2023, Engel won the John Dos Passos Prize for Literature, "a literary award given annually by Longwood University to a talented American writer who experiments with form, explores a range of voices and merits further recognition."[48]

Personal life

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Engel now resides in Miami[49] and New York.

Bibliography

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Books

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  • 2010 Vida
Translated to Spanish by Alfaguara, 2016
  • 2013 It's Not Love, It's just Paris
Translated to Spanish as No es amor, es solo París by Grijalbo, 2014
  • 2016 The Veins of the Ocean
Translated to French as Les veines de l'océan by Flammarion, 2016
Translated to Spanish as Las venas del océano by Alfaguara, 2017
  • 2021 Infinite Country
  • 2023 The Faraway World

Short stories

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Essays and criticism

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  • "La intimidad de la distancia," Arcadia

Awards and achievements

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  • Winner of the John Dos Pasos Prize for Literature 2023
  • Winner of the New American Voices Award 2021
  • Recipient of John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship in Fiction, 2019
  • Winner of an O. Henry Award, 2019
  • Winner of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Fiction, 2017
  • Recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, 2014
  • Winner of the Premio Biblioteca de Narrativa Colombiana, 2016
  • Winner of the International Latino Book Award, 2014 and 2011
  • Pen/Hemingway Foundation Fiction Award finalist, 2011
  • New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award finalist, 2011
  • Paterson Fiction Prize finalist, 2011
  • Dayton Literary Peace Prize long list, 2011
  • The Story Prize long list, 2011

References

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  1. ^ "Patricia Engel". people.miami.edu. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  2. ^ León, Rachel (12 July 2016). "How Patricia Engel Turned a Short Story Into 'The Veins of the Ocean'". Chicago Review of Books. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  3. ^ MARÍN, DANIEL RIVERA (25 January 2017). "Patricia Engel gana el premio Biblioteca Narrativa Colombiana de Eafit". ARCADIA. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  4. ^ Lombardo, María Eugenia (12 May 2017). "Literatura sin fronteras". EL TIEMPO. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  5. ^ Saenz, Benjamin (13 September 2013). "In an Old House in Paris 'It's Not Love, It's Just Paris,' by Patricia Engel". New York Times. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  6. ^ Scholes, Lucy (22 July 2016). "A Novel Explores Tragedy's Aftermath in a Colombian-American Family". New York Times. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  7. ^ "2017 Fiction Winner". Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  8. ^ De Robertis, Carolina (6 May 2016). "'The Veins of the Ocean,' by Patricia Engel". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  9. ^ Villarreal, Felipe Sánchez. "Patricia Engel, literatura colombiana de migrantes en los EE. UU. de Trump". Vice. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  10. ^ "Praise for Alumna Patricia Engel's Debut Novel". NYU Alumni Blog. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  11. ^ CASE Digital Communications. "Congratulations Alum Patricia Engel!". CASE News. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  12. ^ "University of Miami College of Arts & Science". Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  13. ^ Wolitzer, Meg; Pitlor, Heidi (3 October 2017). The Best American Short Stories. ISBN 978-1-328-76673-1. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  14. ^ Lippman, Laura; Penzler, Otto (7 October 2014). The Best American Mystery Stories. ISBN 978-0-544-03464-8. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  15. ^ "Desaliento The winner of Boston Review's 15th annual fiction contest". Boston Review. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  16. ^ "NEA LITERATURE FELLOWSHIPS". National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  17. ^ Murphy, Dwyer (2 June 2016). "Patricia Engel on Florida, the Courage of Immigrants, and Writing a Novel of the Americas". Electric Literature. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  18. ^ Queirós, Carlos J. "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Chica". AARP. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  19. ^ Araque, Pilar Mejía. ""Escribo sobre los inmigrantes porque es mi mundo", Patricia Engel en Ulibro 2017". periodico15. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  20. ^ Engel, Patricia (25 August 2017). "La intimidad de la distancia: una carta desde Miami". Revista Arcadia. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  21. ^ "Five Young Writers Chosen as Finalists for The New York Public Library's 2011 Young Lions Fiction Award". New York Public Library. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  22. ^ Saldarriaga, John (26 January 2017). "El libro Vida le dio premio a Patricia Engel". elcolombiano. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  23. ^ "100 Notable Books of 2010". New York Times. 24 November 2010. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  24. ^ "General Fiction" (PDF). Florida Humanities. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  25. ^ "2011 Independent Publisher Book Awards Results Announcement". Independent Publisher. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  26. ^ Freeman, John (16 December 2010). "A Little Bundle Of New: Best Book Debuts Of 2010". NPR Books. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  27. ^ Gay, Roxane. "A Literature of Her Own: 'It's Not Love, It's Just Paris', by Patricia Engel". The Nation. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  28. ^ "Authors". Grove Atlantic. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  29. ^ Fassler, Joe (2013-08-27). "'All Immigrants Are Artists'". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  30. ^ Gay, Roxane (2013-09-13). "A Literature of Her Own: 'It's Not Love, It's Just Paris', by Patricia Engel". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  31. ^ Temple, Emily (3 October 2017). "ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS OF THE 2017 DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE". Literary Hub. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  32. ^ "Editors' Choice". New York Times. 27 July 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  33. ^ De Robertis, Carolina. "'The Veins of the Ocean,' by Patricia Engel". San Francisco Gate. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  34. ^ "Hardcover Fiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - March 21, 2021 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  35. ^ Caliendo, Heather (2021-03-02). "Reese's March 2021 Book Club Pick is Infinite Country by Patricia Engel". Book Club Chat. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  36. ^ Bakija, Mary. "Reese Witherspoon Picks 'Infinite Country' by Patricia Engel for March Book Club | Book Pulse". Library Journal. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  37. ^ Book, Fall for the (2021-09-23). "Patricia Engel Wins New American Voices Award". Fall for the Book Festival. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  38. ^ JCARMICHAEL (2021-10-17). "2022 Winners". Reference & User Services Association (RUSA). Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  39. ^ IGO (2021-11-09). "Infinite Country". Dublin Literary Award. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  40. ^ "Infinite Country". www.arts.gov. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  41. ^ "50 notable works of fiction". Washington Post. 2023-11-15. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  42. ^ Cheuk, Leland; LeBlanc, Lauren; Sancken, Renata; Steffens, Daneet; Vognar, Chris (December 17, 2023). "Here is a list of 55 books we loved in 2023". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  43. ^ Prize, The Story (2024-02-07). "TSP: The Story Prize Longlist for Story Collections Published in 2023". TSP. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  44. ^ "9 New Books We Recommend This Week". The New York Times. 2023-02-09. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  45. ^ "Patricia Engel's Short Story "Libélula," from Her Collection "The Faraway World"". Oprah Daily. 2023-01-13. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  46. ^ "The Miami Rails". The Miami Rails. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  47. ^ "Aguacero"
  48. ^ University, Longwood. "Patricia Engel named winner of 42nd Dos Passos Prize". www.longwood.edu. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  49. ^ Zuckerman, Alicia. "The Veins Of The Ocean Plumbs The Depths of Florida's Beauty, Pain and Sea". WLRN. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  50. ^ Ploughshares
  51. ^ Engel, Patricia (March 2018). "The Book Of Saints". The Sun.
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