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Gabriela Cabezón Cámara

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Gabriela Cabezón Cámara (San Isidro, Buenos Aires, 4 November 1968) is an Argentine writer and journalist. She is considered one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Argentine and Latin American literature, apart from being a well-known intellectual, and a feminist and environmentalist.[2][3][4]

Gabriela Cabezón Cámara
Gabriela Cabezón Cámara in 2016
Gabriela Cabezón Cámara in 2016
Born (1968-11-04) November 4, 1968 (age 56)
San Isidro, Buenos Aires
OccupationWriter and journalist
LanguageSpanish
NationalityArgentine
EducationUniversity of Buenos Aires
GenreNovel, Novella, Graphic novel
Literary movementNueva Narrativa Argentina[1]
Notable worksLa Virgen Cabeza
Notable awards
  • Silverio Cañada Memorial Prize, shortlisted (2009)
  • International Booker Prize, shortlisted (2020)
  • Ciutat de Barcelona Award in Spanish-language literature (2023)

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.[5][6] It was translated into English by Frances Riddle as Slum Virgin and published by Charco Press.[7] This translated version was shortlisted for the Silverio Cañada Memorial Prize at the Gijón Noir Week in Spain[8] and chosen as book of the year by Rolling Stone magazine in Argentina in 2009.[7]

Her other two novels are: Las aventuras de la China Iron (2017), which interpreted Gaucho literature from a feminist and queer point of view—the English version of which was shortlisted for the 2020 International Booker Prize—[9][10][11] 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.[6][12][13][14]

Her articles have been published in various media outlets,[15] such as Soy [es],[16] Anfibia,[17][18] Le Monde diplomatique, and Revista Ñ [es].[19] She also worked as the editor of the Culture section of Argentine newspaper Clarín.[3] 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.[3] One of her students is Argentine writer and journalist Belén López Peiró, who writes about her experiences with child sexual abuse.[20]

Furthermore, she received a scholarship as a writer-in-residence at UC Berkeley in 2013.[3] She is a co-founder of the feminist movement Ni una menos.[a][21]

Biography

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Early life

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Gabriela Cabezón Cámara was born on 4 November 1968 in San Isidro, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. She studied Humanities at the University of Buenos Aires.[22] 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.[23] In 2011, she published the novella Le viste la cara a Dios, about human trafficking,[24] which became the first Spanish-language e-book to be chosen as the book of the year by Revista Ñ [es].[25]

Literary career

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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.[5] In 2013, she was awarded a scholarship as a writer-in-residence at UC Berkeley.[3] 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.[26][27] It received a distinction from the Argentine Senate and the Buenos Aires City Legislature for its impact on society.[28][29] 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.[30]

She published her second novel, Las aventuras de la China Iron, in 2017.[31] Critics referred to it as having una prosa encantada y casi milagrosa,[b][32] referring to it as otra fundación[c] of Argentine literature.[33] Moreover, the novel was chosen as one of the books of the year by the Spanish-language edition of The New York Times and by newspaper El País.[34][35] 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.[36] That translation was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2020.[2] 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.[d][37] Its film adaptation was announced that very same year.[38] In 2022, the book was one of the five finalists for the Prix Montluc Resistance et Liberté award.[39]

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.[40][41][42] In January 2024, she obtained the Ciutat de Barcelona award in Spanish-language Literature for this book.[6]

Style

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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.[43] 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.[44]

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 genre.[45] Her narrative style blends content from reality (from slums to social networks) with expressions of classic literature, the gaucho genre, slang, and a touch of black humor.[46]

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.[e][47] 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[f] 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.[g][45] 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

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Among the main influences that defined her vocation and her style, Cabezón Cámara has mentioned Patricia Highsmith, Rodolfo Walsh,[17] Néstor Perlongher, and Osvaldo Lamborghini.[48][49]

List of works

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Novels

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Short fiction

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  • 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)[55]

Notes

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  1. ^ English: Not One Less
  2. ^ English: An enchanted, almost miraculous prose
  3. ^ English: Another foundation
  4. ^ English: Wonderful feminist and queer retelling of an American foundational myth (…) with a language and a perspective that are so fresh, they make the idea of what a new American nation could be do a 180-degree turn
  5. ^ English: Being raped 24 hours a day
  6. ^ English: Virgin
  7. ^ English: Her husbands: God, the Pope, and the Holy Ghost

References

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  1. ^ Lalkovičová 2020, p. 1155.
  2. ^ a b Doyle, Martin (2 April 2020). "International Booker Prize 2020 shortlist announced". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Gabriela Cabezón Cámara". Hablemos, escritoras (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  4. ^ Zevallos Morón, Jair (2 November 2022). "Gabriela Cabezón Cámara: "Cuando la literatura está viva, la lengua sobrevive a las intenciones del autor"". Radio Programas del Perú (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b Mejía, Lisbeth (23 October 2019). "De la oscuridad a la luz, la literatura de Gabriela Cabezón". El Imparcial (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 29 November 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Kolesnikov, Patricia (2 February 2024). "La argentina Gabriela Cabezón Cámara gana el premio literario de Barcelona por su prosa "poética y animal"". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "Slum Virgin". Charco Press. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Gabriela Cabezón Cámara en la Semana Negra de Gijón". Eterna Cadencia (in Spanish). 3 June 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  9. ^ Gigena, Daniel (2 April 2020). "Gabriela Cabezón Cámara y su China Iron son finalistas en el prestigioso premio Booker". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  10. ^ "The 2020 International Booker Prize Shortlist Announced". The Booker Prizes. 1 April 2020.
  11. ^ Flood, Alison (2 April 2020). "International Booker prize shortlist led by 28-year-old's debut". The Guardian.
  12. ^ Salomé, René (22 October 2023). "La monja que peleó en la Conquista de América travestida como varón: así es lo nuevo de Gabriela Cabezón Cámara". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  13. ^ "Las niñas del naranjel, de Gabriela Cabezón Cámara". Channel 3 (Rosario, Argentina) (in Spanish). 15 October 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  14. ^ "Otro premio para Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, ahora en Barcelona". Clarín (in Spanish). 2 February 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  15. ^ Pomeraniec, Hinde (23 October 2019). "Gabriela Cabezón Cámara: "La literatura no es el jardín de unos pocos burgueses blancos heterosexuales"". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  16. ^ Cabezón Cámara, Gabriela (10 June 2016). "La vida empieza a los cuarenta". Página 12 (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Gabriela Cabezón Cámara". Anfibia (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  18. ^ Alcaraz, María Florencia; Cabezón Cámara, Gabriela (October 2014). "Crónica. El Caso Melina: Condenados". Anfibia (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  19. ^ Cabezón Cámara, Gabriela (17 November 2023). "A: animalismo por Gabriela Cabezón Cámara". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  20. ^ Hartmann, Irene (12 December 2018). "Quién es Belén López Peiró, la autora del libro que estimuló a Thelma Fardín a denunciar a Juan Darthés". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  21. ^ Funes, Mercedes (3 June 2021). "Ni una menos: así se gestó el nuevo "Nunca más" que movilizó a miles de mujeres contra la violencia machista". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  22. ^ Roncato 2015, p. 9.
  23. ^ Vásquez, Cristian (16 January 2020). "La escritora que no quiere volverse una burócrata de sí misma". Letras Libres (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 16 January 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  24. ^ Rodríguez 2016, p. 44.
  25. ^ Roncato 2015, p. 26.
  26. ^ "Una novela gráfica inspirada en el secuestro impune de Marita Verón". El Patagónico (in Spanish). 12 March 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  27. ^ Urdapilleta, Marcos (3 July 2017). "Lectura brutal de una novela gráfica que trabaja el abuso en términos de venganza". Revista Colofón (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  28. ^ Treibel, Guadalupe (4 April 2014). "La furia". Página 12 (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  29. ^ "Distinción para una periodista de Clarín". Clarín (in Spanish). 20 September 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  30. ^ Boullosa, Cecilia (21 March 2014). ""Hoy escribo desde la alegría"". Eterna Cadencia (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  31. ^ Smart, James (20 May 2020). "The Adventures of China Iron review – a thrilling miniature epic". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  32. ^ Vanoli, Hernán (25 December 2018). "Cuatro investigaciones mutantes". Crisis Magazine (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  33. ^ Potenza, Pablo (17 May 2018). "Las aventuras de la China Iron". Otra Parte Magazine (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  34. ^ Carrión, Jorge (17 December 2017). "Los libros de ficción de 2017: una selección iberoamericana". The New York Times (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  35. ^ "20 libros latinoamericanos de 2017". El País (in Spanish). 29 December 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  36. ^ Friera, Silvina (3 April 2020). "Gabriela Cabezón Cámara finalista del Booker Prize". Página 12 (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  37. ^ Kolesnikov, Patricia (2 April 2020). "Una buena: la argentina Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, a las puertas de un gran premio literario internacional". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  38. ^ Haimovichi, Laura (25 June 2020). "Gabriela Cabezón Cámara: "Uno no puede escribir por fuera de su época"". The Praxis Journal (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  39. ^ "Prix Littéraire Montluc Résistance et Liberté - Édition 2022". Prix Montluc (in French). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  40. ^ "Lírica e irreverente, Las niñas del naranjel, lo nuevo de Gabriela Cabezón Cámara". La Capital (Mar del Plata) (in Spanish). 8 October 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  41. ^ "Gabriela Cabezón recrea la vida y mito de la Monja Alférez en su esperada nueva novela: 'Las niñas del Naranjel'". WMagazín (in Spanish). 6 August 2023.
  42. ^ Kolesnikov, Patricia (9 November 2023). "Gabriela Cabezón Cámara: "Hay que reparar en la belleza, no me quiero morir en esta oscuridad espantosa"". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  43. ^ Fernández 2018, p. 112.
  44. ^ Domínguez 2014, p. 1.
  45. ^ a b Jiménez, Paula (10 July 2009). "Gabriela Cabezón Cámara. Cabecita loca". Página 12 (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  46. ^ Pruneda Paz, Dolores (13 March 2014). ""Romance de la negra rubia" cierra la trilogía de Cabezón Cámara". Télam (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  47. ^ "Gabriela Cabezón Cámara". Literatura iniciática (in Spanish). 15 June 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  48. ^ Rey, Malena (23 May 2014). "Retrato: Gabriela Cabezón Cámara". Los In Rocks (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 3 July 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  49. ^ "Gabriela Cabezón Cámara". Librería Finestres (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  50. ^ "La Virgen Cabeza". Eterna Cadencia (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  51. ^ "Romance de la negra rubia". Eterna Cadencia (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  52. ^ "Las aventuras de la China Iron". Hablemos, escritoras (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  53. ^ "The Adventures of China Iron". Charco Press. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  54. ^ "Las niñas del naranjel". Penguin Random House (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  55. ^ "Beya. Le viste la cara a Dios". Eterna Cadencia (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 May 2024.

Bibliography

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