Jump to content

Alejandro Varela (writer)

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the Spanish footballer, see Alejandro Varela.

Alejandro Varela
A photo of Alejandro Varela at a book reading of The People Who Report More Stress at P&T Knitwear in New York City, April 2023
Alejandro Varela at a book reading at P&T Knitwear, April 2023
Born1979 (age 45–46)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationAuthor
Notable workThe Town of Babylon (2022)
Websitealejandrovarela.work

Alejandro Varela (born 1979) is an American fiction writer. His novel The Town of Babylon was a finalist for a National Book Award for Fiction in 2022.[1]

Career

[edit]

Varela graduated from Cornell with a Bachelor of Arts and the University of Washington with a Masters in Public Health.[2][3] After graduating, he worked on an HIV study for the New York City Blood Center and managed cancer screening studies at Mount Sinai in Manhattan.[2] Varela taught graduate-level public health policy and advocacy at Long Island University before beginning to write full time. He has published short stories in The Yale Review, Georgia Review, and Harper's Magazine.[4][5]

Varela was working in a skyscraper two blocks way from the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. He detailed his experience on that day to Nicole Chung in The Atlantic, "I don’t know when the nightmares started, but after that, it was a long time before I could fly again."[6]

Varela's debut novel, The Town of Babylon, was published in 2022, and shortlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction.[7] The judges for the award said, "With this urgent, vivid novel, Varela has given us a modern classic and an indelible portrait of our times."[8][9]

His second book, The People Who Report More Stress, a short story collection, was published in 2023. The New York Times called it "a master class in analyzing the unspoken... Varela illuminates our society’s Gordian knots with a seemingly effortless wit and empathy."[10][11] The book was longlisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize.[12]

Personal

[edit]

Varela is queer and lives in New York City.[13] His parents are from Colombia and El Salvador.[1]

Awards and honors

[edit]

Literary prizes

[edit]
Year Work Awards Category Results Ref
2022 The Town of Babylon National Book Award Fiction Finalist [14]
Aspen Words Literary Prize — Longlist [15]
2023 PEN Open Book Award — Longlist [16]
The People Who Report More Stress Aspen Words Literary Prize — Longlist [17]
International Latino Book Awards Short Stories Silver [18]
The Story Prize — Longlist [19]
2024 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award — Longlist [20]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Soto, Christopher (March 16, 2023). "How the Salvadoran diaspora became a literary juggernaut". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "How Alejandro Varela became a public health storyteller". sph.washington.edu. May 11, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  3. ^ "Fireside Chat with Alejandro Varela '01 and Ernesto Quiñonez". Cornell University. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  4. ^ "Alejandro Varela: "Grand Openings"". The Yale Review. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  5. ^ "Carlitos in Charge, by Alejandro Varela". Harper's Magazine. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  6. ^ "Alejandro Varela on the Reality of Being an Anxious Writer". I Have Notes. August 15, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  7. ^ Pao, Maureen (October 4, 2022). "Here are the finalists for the 2022 National Book Awards". NPR. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  8. ^ "The Town of Babylon". National Book Foundation. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  9. ^ "Three Questions for Alejandro Varela Regarding His Debut Novel, The Town of Babylon By Daniel A. Olivas". LATINO BOOK REVIEW. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  10. ^ Kirby, Gwen E. (April 28, 2023). "In These Stories, Society Lets Individuals Down Again and Again". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  11. ^ Cheuk, Leland (April 6, 2023). "National Book Award finalist Alejandro Varela renders the neurotic complexity of cosmopolitan life with humor and pathos in 'The People Who Report More Stress'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  12. ^ "2024 Aspen Words Literary Prize Longlist". Aspen Words. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  13. ^ "These Stories Explore the Complex Stress of Being Queer and Latinx in New York City". Them. April 4, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  14. ^ "Alejandro Varela". National Book Foundation. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  15. ^ "Aspen Institute Announces The 2023 Aspen Words Literary Prize Longlist". The Aspen Institute. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  16. ^ kanopi_admin (January 20, 2023). "Announcing the 2023 PEN America Literary Awards Longlists". PEN America. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  17. ^ Katz, Pam (November 9, 2023). "Announcing the Longlist for the 2024 Aspen Words Literary Prize". The Aspen Institute. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  18. ^ "Book Awards 2024". International Latino Book Awards. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  19. ^ "The Story Prize". The Story Prize. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  20. ^ kanopi_admin (April 8, 2024). "Announcing the 2024 PEN America Literary Awards Longlists". PEN America. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
Retrieved from "http://en.wiki.x.io/w/index.php?title=Alejandro_Varela_(writer)&oldid=1271866888"