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| Daniel Alarcón | |
|---|---|
| Name | Daniel Alarcón |
| Birth date | 1977 |
| Birth place | Lima, Peru |
| Occupation | Novelist, short story writer, radio producer, journalist |
| Nationality | Peruvian American |
| Notable works | The King is Always Above the People; Lost City Radio; At Night We Walk in Circles |
| Awards | Bard Fiction Prize; Whiting Award |
Daniel Alarcón is a Peruvian American novelist, short story writer, and radio producer known for fiction and nonfiction exploring migration, memory, and political violence. He has published novels, short stories, and produced radio documentaries and podcasts, while teaching creative writing at university programs and contributing to major publications. His work bridges literary fiction, audio storytelling, and investigative reporting.
Alarcón was born in Lima and raised in the United States, moving between Lima and cities in the United States during childhood. He attended Bard College for undergraduate study and later earned an MFA from Columbia University, studying alongside writers associated with programs at Iowa Writers' Workshop and faculties at NYU and Harvard University where many contemporary novelists have taught. His early mentors and peers included authors connected to the PEN America community and participants in workshops sponsored by organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts and literary festivals like the Hay Festival and Princeton Arts events.
Alarcón's debut collection, a set of short stories set in a fictional Latin American city, drew comparisons to writers such as Gabriel García Márquez, Jorge Luis Borges, Isabel Allende, and Mario Vargas Llosa. His novels and stories have appeared in magazines like Granta, Harper's Magazine, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and anthologies associated with NPR and the Pushcart Prize. He published novels and collections that garnered attention alongside works by Junot Díaz, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Paul Auster, and Salman Rushdie. Critics in outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post have reviewed his books, situating him within conversations about contemporary Latin American and diasporic literature alongside writers published by houses like Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Knopf, and Penguin Random House.
Beyond fiction, Alarcón has contributed journalism to publications including The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR. He co-founded a nonprofit radio project that produced narrative journalism and fiction for public radio audiences, working with institutions such as Radiotopia, This American Life, BBC Radio, and public broadcasters connected to WBEZ and KCRW. His radio documentaries and podcasts have been featured alongside series produced by Serial Productions and distribution networks like BBC World Service and PRI. He has collaborated with producers and journalists affiliated with Ira Glass, Sarah Koenig, Jad Abumrad, and multimedia teams at ProPublica and The Intercept.
Alarcón's fiction frequently examines migration, exile, memory, and authoritarianism, drawing intertextually on the traditions of Latin American literature, magical realism, and urban fiction. His influences include novelists and essayists such as Carlos Fuentes, Octavio Paz, Alejo Carpentier, and contemporary writers like Roberto Bolaño, Claudia Rankine, and Henrietta Lacks-adjacent narratives in nonfiction. Themes in his work intersect with historical events and contexts such as the Peruvian internal conflict, regional political movements in South America, and diasporic experiences involving cities like New York City, Lima, and Los Angeles. Literary critics have situated his oeuvre in relation to movements discussed at conferences held by Modern Language Association and panels at BookExpo America and international forums like the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Alarcón has received prizes and fellowships such as the Bard Fiction Prize, the Whiting Award, and honors from arts organizations similar to the MacArthur Foundation-affiliated networks and fellowships administered by The Lannan Foundation and the Guggenheim Foundation. His books have been shortlisted and cited in lists compiled by The New Yorker, Time magazine, and awards committees at institutions like the PEN/Faulkner Foundation and National Book Foundation. He has held residency appointments at artist colonies comparable to MacDowell Colony and participated in fellowship programs at universities and cultural centers including Yaddo and international writer residencies in Buenos Aires, Madrid, and Mexico City.
Alarcón lives in the United States and has been active in cultural and civic initiatives addressing immigration, literary access, and radio journalism training. He has supported organizations working with migrants and refugees, collaborating with groups such as Human Rights Watch, advocacy campaigns linked to Amnesty International, and community programs connected to Immigration Equality and local nonprofits. He has taught workshops and seminars at institutions including Columbia University, Bard College, Harvard University, and public cultural organizations like The Brooklyn Public Library and festival circuits such as the Brooklyn Book Festival.
Category:Peruvian American writers Category:1977 births Category:Living people