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Katherine Vaz

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Katherine Vaz
Vaz in 2007
Vaz in 2007
Born (1955-08-26) August 26, 1955 (age 69)
Castro Valley, California, US
OccupationWriter
GenreNovels, short stories, non-fiction, children’s literature
Spouses
(m. 2015)

Katherine Vaz (born August 26, 1955) is a Portuguese-American writer. A Briggs-Copeland Fellow in Fiction at Harvard University (2003–2009), a 2006–2007 Fellow of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study,[1] and the Fall, 2012 Harman Fellow at Baruch College in New York,[2] she is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Above the Salt, a People Magazine Book of the Week and a Top Book of November, a Top Three Pick by Good Morning, America, and a Most Anticipated Book for Fall, 2023 by Zibby’s Books and Goodreads.[3]

Vaz's novel Saudade (St. Martin’s Press, 1994) is the first contemporary novel about Portuguese-Americans from a major New York publisher. It was optioned by Marlee Matlin/Solo One Productions and selected in the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers series.[4]

Her novel, Mariana, (HarperCollins, 1997), was selected by the Library of Congress as one of the Top 30 International Books of 1998 and has been translated into six languages.[1] Mariana has been optioned for screen development with Harrison Productions.[5]

Vaz's first short story collection Fado & Other Stories received the 1997 Drue Heinz Literature Prize[6] and her second collection, Our Lady of the Artichokes, won the 2007 Prairie Schooner Book Prize.[7]

Vaz is a recipient of a Literature Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts (1993) [8] and the Davis Humanities Institute Fellowship (1999). She has been named by the Luso-Americano as one of the Top 50 Luso-Americanos of the twentieth century [9] and is the first Portuguese-American to have her work recorded for the Library of Congress, housed in the Hispanic Division. The Portuguese-American Women’s Association (PAWA) named her 2003 Woman of the Year.[10] She was appointed to the six-person U.S. Presidential Delegation to open the American Pavilion at the World’s Fair/Expo 98 in Lisbon.[11] She lives in New York City and the Springs area of East Hampton with Christopher Cerf, whom she married in July 2015.[12]

Awards

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Accolades

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  • Vaz is the first Portuguese-American writer to have work recorded for the Archives of the Library of Congress
  • Named one of the top fifty Luso-Americans of the 20th century by LusoAmericano Magazine
  • Named by the Portuguese Leadership Council of the U.S. as one of the All-Time Most Influential Lusa Women
  • Appointed to the six-person Presidential Delegation to open the U.S. pavilion at Expo 98/World's Fair in Lisbon[14]
  • Above the Salt chosen as one of People Magazine's Best New Books to Read in Nov. 2023[15]

Published works

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Novels

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  • Saudade (St. Martin’s Press, June 1994)
  • Mariana (HarperCollins/Flamingo, 1997)
  • Above the Salt (Flatiron Books, MacMillan, 2023)

Story collections

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Short stories

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Non-fiction

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  • "Songs of the Soul, Songs of the Night," The New York Times, Sophisticated Traveler Magazine, September 18, 1994
  • Signatures of Grace (Dutton, 2000). Essay on Baptism. (In conjunction with Mary Gordon, Andre Dubus, Patricia Hampl, Ron Hansen, Paula Huston, Paul Mariani).
  • "Carving the Fruitstones," for anthology about short fiction, 2004, Greenwood Publications.
  • "This Howling," essay on the Azores/introduction to novel by João de Melo (My World Is Not of This Kingdom, translated from Portuguese by Gregory Rabassa), Aliform Press, 2003.

Children's literature

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  • "The Kingdom of Melting Glances" short story in A Wolf at the Door (Simon & Schuster, 2000, in fourth printing)
  • "A World Painted by Birds" in Green Man anthology (Viking, 2002)
  • "My Swan Sister," title story in Swan Sister and Other Stories (Simon & Schuster, 2003)
  • "Your Garnet Eyes,"in anthology Faery Reel, (Viking, 2004)
  • "Chamber Music for Animals," in Coyote Road anthology (Viking, 2006)

Critical response

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Vaz's novel "Saudade" received positive reviews, earning an average 4/5 stars on Goodreads.[16] According to the Library Journal, “This wonderfully inventive novel, which contains elements of magic realism, is infused with a sense of saudade-a Portuguese word that, according to the author, can be understood as an extremely intense longing for a time, place, or people... First novelist Vaz has written a challenging and rewarding work of fiction.”[17]

Her novels "Mariana" and "Above the Salt" also received positive reviews.[18] According to Maaza Mengiste, “Katherine Vaz writes with piercing, startling beauty: every sentence suffused with longing, every moment shining with possibility. In Above the Salt she offers us a story of discovery and loss, and the fragile but unwavering bonds of love that endure, despite it all. Vaz’s Saudade is a novel that has stayed with me for decades. In this latest book, Katherine Vaz has confirmed herself as one of our best writers.” [19]

Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b "Radcliffe Institute Fellows - Katherine Vaz". Archived from the original on 2012-05-09. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
  2. ^ "The Sidney Harman Writer-In-Residence Program". Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  3. ^ Hubbard, Kim (October 30, 2023). "People's Picks: The Best New Books". People Magazine: 32.
  4. ^ "Rediscover the bright new literary lights of years past with this retrospective of previous Discover Great New Writers selections". Archived from the original on 2015-02-11. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
  5. ^ "The Center for Fiction Presents Katherine Vaz on Above the Salt". Center for Fiction. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Browse". Archived from the original on 2007-05-18. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
  7. ^ a b "Prairie Schooner | Stories, Poems, Essays, and Reviews since 1926". Archived from the original on 2012-10-23. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
  8. ^ "National Endowment for the Arts" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-06-12. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  9. ^ "Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture".
  10. ^ "None".
  11. ^ "2006–2007 Radcliffe Institute Fellows - Katherine Vaz". Archived from the original on 2012-05-09. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
  12. ^ Nir, Sarah Maslin (2015-07-10). "Katherine Vaz and Christopher Cerf: Kermit Will Attend". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2021-05-16. Retrieved 2021-05-16.
  13. ^ "Within the Lighted City". Women's Review of Books. 1998-03-01. Katherine Vaz achieves this broader scope in Fado and Other Stories, a first collection that won the 1997 Drue Heinz Literature Prize.
  14. ^ "ABOUT". KatherineVaz.com. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  15. ^ "PEOPLE's Best New Books to Read in Nov. 2023". People.com. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  16. ^ "Saudade". Goodreads. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Katherine Vaz". The Shipman Agency. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  18. ^ "Above the Salt". Goodreads. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  19. ^ "Katherine Vaz". The Shipman Agency. Retrieved 29 April 2024.