Bruna Dantas Lobato is a fiction writer and translator of Brazilian literature. Her translation of The Words That Remain by Stênio Gardel won the 2023 National Book Award for Translated Literature.[1][2] Her translation of The Dark Side of Skin by Jeferson Tenório won an English PEN Translates Award,[3] and her translation of Moldy Strawberries by Caio Fernando Abreu was longlisted for the PEN Translation Prize and the Republic of Consciousness Prize.[4][5]

Bruna Dantas Lobato
Bruna Dantas Lobato in 2023
Bruna Dantas Lobato in 2023
Bornc. 1991
Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
OccupationWriter, translator
Education
Notable awardsNational Book Award
Website
www.brunadantaslobato.com

Her first novel, Blue Light Hours, was published in 2024 by Grove Atlantic to critical acclaim and will be translated into several languages.[6][7][8][9][10] Her stories have been published in The New Yorker, Guernica, A Public Space, and The Common.[11][12][13][14]

Early life and education

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Dantas Lobato was born in Natal, in the Northeast of Brazil.[15] As a high school student, she was selected to the United States Department of State and U.S. Embassy in Brazil exchange program Youth Ambassadors,[16][17] which first brought her to the United States to study U.S. politics and youth leadership. As a Youth Ambassador to Brazil, Dantas Lobato visited the White House, where she met Michelle Obama.[18][19]

She was an avid reader from a young age and took her first creative writing class as a scholarship student at Phillips Exeter Academy. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University, an MFA in Literary Translation from the University of Iowa, and a BA in Literature from Bennington College.[20][21]

Life and work

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In addition to translating Brazilian literature into English, Dantas Lobato an advocate for translators translating out of their heritage languages and has led panels on the topic.[11][12][22]

Dantas Lobato currently serves on the board of directors of the American Literary Translators Association.[13] She is an Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Grinnell College.[23]

Honors

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Publications

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Fiction

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Translations

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References

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  1. ^ a b "The Words That Remain". National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  2. ^ Harris, Elizabeth A.; Alter, Alexandra (2023-11-16). "Justin Torres, Author of 'Blackouts,' Wins National Book Award for Fiction". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  3. ^ a b "PEN Translates winners announced". English Pen. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  4. ^ a b "Announcing the 2023 PEN America Literary Awards Longlists –". PEN America. 2023-01-20. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  5. ^ a b "Our 2022 Longlist!". Republic of Consciousness Prize. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  6. ^ "About". Bruna Dantas Lobato. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  7. ^ "Blue Light Hours". Bruna Dantas Lobato. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  8. ^ "Blue Light Hours". Kirkus Reviews.
  9. ^ "Blue Light Hours by Bruna Dantas Lobato". www.publishersweekly.com. July 22, 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  10. ^ McGee, Celia (2024-07-31). "They Translated the Books of Others. Now They're Writing Their Own". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  11. ^ a b "'Building Something Together': Translators Discuss Their Art". The New York Times. 2023-06-28. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  12. ^ a b "Translators on the Art of Translating". KQED. 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  13. ^ a b "Board of Directors | The American Literary Translators Association". literarytranslators.org. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  14. ^ a b "2019 PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants". PEN America. 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  15. ^ a b Becker, Eric (2023-10-03). "The National Book Award Interviews: Bruna Dantas Lobato and Stênio Gardel". Words Without Borders. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  16. ^ Brazil, U. S. Mission (2023-06-30). "Applications open for the 2024 Youth Ambassadors program". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Brazil. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  17. ^ Brazil, U. S. Mission (2013-12-11). "Youth Ambassadors Personal Blogs". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Brazil. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  18. ^ "Embaixada dos EUA lança projeto Jovens Embaixadores". Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  19. ^ Brasilia, U. S. Embassy (2010-01-13), Primeira-Dama dos EUA Recebe Jovens Embaixadores Brasileiros / First Lady Michelle Obama Welcomes Brazilian, retrieved 2023-11-23
  20. ^ "Bruna Dantas Lobato". Bruna Dantas Lobato. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  21. ^ "Bruna Dantas Lobato | Bennington College". www.bennington.edu. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  22. ^ "Motherless Tongues, Multiple Belongings I". HowlRound Theatre Commons. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  23. ^ "dantasbru | Grinnell College". www.grinnell.edu. Retrieved 2024-08-31.