The Life of Daniel Alarcón

     To begin, Daniel Alarcón is a Peruvian-American novelist, journalist and radio producer. I felt like I hadn't prevously focused on many Peruvian authors, which is why I chose to research about Alarcón.

Early life:

    He was born on March 5th, 1977 in Lima, the capital of Peru. As a young boy, his family moved to Birmingham, Alabama where they worked at the local college. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, he called himself a "norteamerincaico" --a blend of North American and Incan identity. He grew up navigating his different culture backgrounds: Peru and the Southern U.S.  He attended Indian Springs School and challenged his intellectual interests through attending the Telluride Association Summer Program. 

Education: 

He earned a BA in Anthropology at Columbia University and spend a summer at Ghana during his studies. He earned his MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Iowa after the NewYorker published his first graphic novel City of Clowns, when he was only 26 years old (2003). He spent time teaching photography and writing in New York public school districts. He served as a FullBright Scholar in Peru in 2001, providing service to urban communities in need of resources. In 2012, Daniel Alarcón joined the University of California at Berkeley's Graduate Journalism School as an "Investigative Reporting Fellow."

Literary Accomplishments:

After his story City of Clowns gained widespread familiarity, Daniel Alarcón published his story collection War By Candlelight in 2005. The piece was inspired by his uncle, a political activist who disappeared amid Peru’s internal conflict. The collection was a finalist for the 2006 PEN/Hemingway Award. IN 2007, another novel titled Lost City Radio was named one of the year's best books according to The Washington Post and The L.A Times. His piece was translated into multiple languages and also was the recipient of the International Literature Award in Germany. In 2017, his short-fiction piece, The King is Always Above The People" was listed for the National Book Award and won the Clarke Prize in Fiction. 

Journalism/Podcasts: 

Daniel Alarcón co-founded Radio Ambulante in 2012, a Spanish-language podcast distributed by NPR. It was a blend of storytelling, journalism, and interviews. It was his way of merging all of the disciplines he feels passionate about into one. According to the MacArthur Foundation, Alarcón expanded his editorial leadership with the weekly news podcast El Hilo, which generates Latin-American news analysis.

Overall: 

Alarcón is still very active in his discipline today, recently receiving the iHeart Innovator Award this year for his podcast The Good Whale. Whether through his haunting novels, culturally rich stories, or engaging podcasts, he amplifies voices across the Americas, navigating between borders. In my next post, I will select some of his most popular journals/literature and analyze them more specifically and individually. 

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