Carolina De Robertis

Author of the critically acclaimed, best-selling novel and the #1 New Latino Author to Watch in 2010

Carolina De Robertis is the author of the critically acclaimed, best-selling novel “The Invisible Mountain,” which has been published in sixteen countries and twelve languages, and was named one of the Best Books of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle and O, The Oprah Magazine. She was named the #1 New Latino Author to Watch in 2010 by Latino Stories.com.

“The Invisible Mountain” traverses three generations of a family in Uruguay, the nation of her origin, focusing on the women’s stories and grappling with complex themes including government repression, clandestine revolutionary movements, human rights violations, transgressive sexualities, family violence, emigration, exile, and the incredible resilience of the human spirit. Meticulously researched and vividly imagined, the book offers a portrait of a small yet tenacious South American nation shaken in the gales of the twentieth century.

De Robertis is also a literary translator, and her rendering into English of the contemporary Chilean novella Bonsai, by Alejandro Zambra, was named one of the Ten Best Translated Books of 2008 by the journal Three Percent. Her writings and literary translations have also appeared in The Virginia Quarterly Review, ColorLines, Zoetrope: Allstory, The San Francisco Chronicle, and the anthology Abortion Under Attack, among others.
 
In addition to her writing career, De Robertis is a long-time, passionate activist for women’s and Latino rights. At the age of 23, she founded the first-ever Spanish-speaking services at the nation’s oldest rape crisis center, spearheading a program that has grown into one of the few 24-hour bilingual rape crisis lines in the nation. At the age of 25, she co-founded Exhale, a unique non-profit supporting women after abortion that grew into a respected national organization,  and became a sought-after presenter on topics such as gender, cultural competency, and internationalism.
 
De Robertis currently teaches creative writing at the University of San Francisco, and serves on the board of Mujeres Unidas y Activas, a grassroots organization by and for Latina immigrant women.