Photo: Valerie Hinojosa / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
What strikes me most about Julia Alvarez is the range she refuses to give up. The same writer who confronted the brutal Mirabal saga in In the Time of the Butterflies also pours herself into children's books, and to me that's not a side hobby but a moral stance: stories belong to everyone, including kids who have none. A National Medal of Arts sits beside two Belpré Medals on her shelf, and I read that pairing as the whole point of her career. She writes in her second language about a homeland she half-remembers, and that tension gives her prose a clarity most native-born writers never reach. I admire her enormously.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Julia Alvarez
- Name (Japanese)
- ジュリア・アルバレス
- Reading
- じゅりあ・あるばれす
- Born
- March 27, 1950 (age 76)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Tiger
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- poet / novelist / writer / children's writer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Syracuse University
Awards & achievements
- 1992 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
- 2013 National Medal of Arts
- 2010 Belpré Medal
- 2004 Belpré Medal
- 2002 Américas Award
- 2010 Américas Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | In the Time of the Butterflies | — |
6. Links
- Official sitehttp://www.juliaalvarez.com/
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/writerjalvarez/
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia%20Alvarez
Frequently asked questions
When was Julia Alvarez born?
Born March 27, 1950 (age 76).
Where is Julia Alvarez from?
Julia Alvarez is from New York City, New York, United States.
What does Julia Alvarez do?
Julia Alvarez works as poet, novelist, writer, children's writer.
What is Julia Alvarez known for?
Notable works include In the Time of the Butterflies.
Poet — see all → · Novelist — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-23
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.