Julia Alvarez is one of the best-known contemporary Latina writers in the U.S. For some years, in a field dominated by Chicana (Mexican-American), Cuban-American, and continental Puerto Rican writers, she was the only prominent example of a Dominican-American writer of fiction. She thus paved the way for subsequent writers currently receiving critical attention such as Junot Díaz, Nelly Rosario, Angie Cruz, and Loida Maritza Pérez.

Julia Alvarez was born on March 27,1950, to Julia Tavares de Alvarez and Eduardo Alvarez Perello, Dominican parents who were briefly residing in New York City. She was the second oldest of four sisters. The family returned to the Dominican Republic shortly after Alvarez’s birth. Her

This article in full comprises 3260 words but only the first 150 or so words are available to non-members.

All our articles have been written recently by experts in their field, more than 95% of them university professors. To read about membership, please click here.

First published 15 January 2007

Citation: Caminero-Santangelo, Marta. "Julia Alvarez". The Literary Encyclopedia. 15 January 2007.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=11760, accessed 21 November 2009.]