Irene Vilar
Encyclopedia
Irene Vilar is an editor, a literary agent
and an author of several books dealing with national and generational trauma and women's reproductive rights
. Born in Puerto Rico, Vilar is the granddaughter of Puerto Rican nationalist
Lolita Lebrón
, who participated in an assault on the United States House of Representatives
in 1954. Her work The Ladies' Gallery: A Memoir of Family Secrets
was a Philadelphia Inquirer and Detroit Free Press notable book of the year, a finalist for the Mind Book of the Year Award and the Latino Book Award. Her 2009 memoir Impossible Motherhood
won the 2010 Independent Publisher Book Award
(IPPY) gold medal for best memoir
/autobiography
. The book revealed that the author had 15 abortions in 17 years. Vilar received death threats after its publication.
Vilar previously worked as an acquisitions editor for Women and Jewish studies at Syracuse University Press
. From 2002 to 2005, she was the founding series editor of The Americas book series published by the University of Wisconsin Press
. Presently she is a series editor at Texas Tech University Press
. She founded her own literary agency, Vilar Creative Agency, and serves as a co-agent in the United States for Ray-Gude Mertin Literary Agency, an agency specializing in Spanish, Latin American, and Portuguese authors, which represented such notable writers as 1998 Nobel Prize
laureate Jose Saramago
. In 2010, she was named a Guggenheim Fellow
.
Literary agent
A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers and film producers and assists in the sale and deal negotiation of the same. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwriters and major non-fiction writers...
and an author of several books dealing with national and generational trauma and women's reproductive rights
Reproductive rights
Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows:...
. Born in Puerto Rico, Vilar is the granddaughter of Puerto Rican nationalist
Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, José Coll y Cuchí, a member of the Union Party of Puerto Rico, felt that the Union Party was not doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rican independence and he...
Lolita Lebrón
Lolita Lebrón
Dolores "Lolita" Lebrón Sotomayor was a Puerto Rican nationalist who wasconvicted of attempted murder and other crimes after leading an assault on the United States House of Representatives in 1954,...
, who participated in an assault on the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in 1954. Her work The Ladies' Gallery: A Memoir of Family Secrets
The Ladies' Gallery: A Memoir of Family Secrets
The Ladies’ Gallery is a memoir that tells the stories of three women: the author Irene Vilar, her mother Gladys Méndez, and her grandmother the Puerto Rican independence activist Lolita Lebrón. The memoir was translated from the Spanish by Gregory Rabassa and has only been published in English...
was a Philadelphia Inquirer and Detroit Free Press notable book of the year, a finalist for the Mind Book of the Year Award and the Latino Book Award. Her 2009 memoir Impossible Motherhood
Impossible Motherhood
Impossible Motherhood is a memoir by Irene Vilar. It is the second memoir published by Vilar, the first being The Ladies’ Gallery.-Controversy:...
won the 2010 Independent Publisher Book Award
Independent Publisher Book Award
The Independent Publisher Book Awards , launched in 1996, are designed to bring increased recognition to titles published by independent authors and publishers...
(IPPY) gold medal for best memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
/autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
. The book revealed that the author had 15 abortions in 17 years. Vilar received death threats after its publication.
Vilar previously worked as an acquisitions editor for Women and Jewish studies at Syracuse University Press
Syracuse University Press
Syracuse University Press, founded in 1943, is a university press that is part of Syracuse University. The areas of focus for the Press include Middle East Studies, Native American Studies, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Irish Studies and Jewish Studies, among others. The Press has an international...
. From 2002 to 2005, she was the founding series editor of The Americas book series published by the University of Wisconsin Press
University of Wisconsin Press
The University of Wisconsin Press is a non-profit university press publishing peer-reviewed books and journals. It primarily publishes work by scholars from the global academic community but also serves the citizens of Wisconsin by publishing important books about Wisconsin, the Upper Midwest, and...
. Presently she is a series editor at Texas Tech University Press
Texas Tech University Press
Texas Tech University Press , founded in 1971, is the university press of Texas Tech University.-External links:*...
. She founded her own literary agency, Vilar Creative Agency, and serves as a co-agent in the United States for Ray-Gude Mertin Literary Agency, an agency specializing in Spanish, Latin American, and Portuguese authors, which represented such notable writers as 1998 Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
laureate Jose Saramago
José Saramago
José de Sousa Saramago, GColSE was a Nobel-laureate Portuguese novelist, poet, playwright and journalist. His works, some of which can be seen as allegories, commonly present subversive perspectives on historic events, emphasizing the human factor. Harold Bloom has described Saramago as "a...
. In 2010, she was named a Guggenheim Fellow
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
.