Biographical Information
Julia Alvarez is a Dominican-American Poet, Novelist and essayist. She was born in New York of Dominican descent, she spent the first ten years of her childhood in the Dominican Republic until her dad's involvment in a political rebellion forced her family to flee the country.
Most of her work is based up personal experience as a Dominican in the United States, and focused heavily on issues of assimilation and identity. Her diverse cultural upbringing as a Dominican and an American is evident in her personal and political tone in her book In the Time of the Butterflies. She is known for works that examine cultural expectations of women in both the Dominican Republic and the United States.
In her early life she was one of the few Latin American students to attend her Catholic school. There she faced discrimination because of her heritage and was often called a "spic" by her classmates. This caused her to turn invward and led her to her fascination with literature. Which later she deemed to be a "portable homeland". Which is indeed a cute phrase to call it. She was encouraged by many of her teachers to pursue writing. From a young age she knew that writing is what she wanted to do with her life. At the tender age of 13 her parents sent her to a boarding school after her neighborhood was deemed unsafe. She returned every summer to the Domican Republic to "reinforce their identity not only as Dominicans but also as proper young ladies". To be able to visit both of these countries extensively has shapen her understanding of different cultures, which is the basis of many of her works.
Then went on to College and attended Connecticut College and obtained a Master's degree in 1975. She traveled all over the United States and visited many schools. In her travles she discovered her love of teaching. She taught English and creative writing at California State University.
Growing up in a diverse family who went under many struggles from a politically corrupt homeland Julia Alvarez was able to grasp the concept of Post Colonialism and the different cultural assimilations. Being sent away to a boarding school when she was only thirteen helped shape the beginning of the book where Minerva was sent to a similiar situation.
The ability to understand post colonialism, which I believe, is to understand one's own heritage first. Julia Alvarez is a Dominican, her parents are from the Dominican Republic, this book takes place in the Dominican Republic. Which gives Alvarez strong ties with her heritage. Giving her the heart to really tell the story of Las Mariposas. A true story of political corruption and Anti-Trujllistas. "So what you will find here are the Mirabals of my creation, made up but, I hope, true to the spirit of the real Mirabals."
Most of her work is based up personal experience as a Dominican in the United States, and focused heavily on issues of assimilation and identity. Her diverse cultural upbringing as a Dominican and an American is evident in her personal and political tone in her book In the Time of the Butterflies. She is known for works that examine cultural expectations of women in both the Dominican Republic and the United States.
In her early life she was one of the few Latin American students to attend her Catholic school. There she faced discrimination because of her heritage and was often called a "spic" by her classmates. This caused her to turn invward and led her to her fascination with literature. Which later she deemed to be a "portable homeland". Which is indeed a cute phrase to call it. She was encouraged by many of her teachers to pursue writing. From a young age she knew that writing is what she wanted to do with her life. At the tender age of 13 her parents sent her to a boarding school after her neighborhood was deemed unsafe. She returned every summer to the Domican Republic to "reinforce their identity not only as Dominicans but also as proper young ladies". To be able to visit both of these countries extensively has shapen her understanding of different cultures, which is the basis of many of her works.
Then went on to College and attended Connecticut College and obtained a Master's degree in 1975. She traveled all over the United States and visited many schools. In her travles she discovered her love of teaching. She taught English and creative writing at California State University.
Growing up in a diverse family who went under many struggles from a politically corrupt homeland Julia Alvarez was able to grasp the concept of Post Colonialism and the different cultural assimilations. Being sent away to a boarding school when she was only thirteen helped shape the beginning of the book where Minerva was sent to a similiar situation.
The ability to understand post colonialism, which I believe, is to understand one's own heritage first. Julia Alvarez is a Dominican, her parents are from the Dominican Republic, this book takes place in the Dominican Republic. Which gives Alvarez strong ties with her heritage. Giving her the heart to really tell the story of Las Mariposas. A true story of political corruption and Anti-Trujllistas. "So what you will find here are the Mirabals of my creation, made up but, I hope, true to the spirit of the real Mirabals."
