# Katherine Vaz

Katherine Vaz (born August 26, 1955) is a Portuguese-American writer. A Briggs-Copeland Fellow in Fiction at Harvard University (2003–2009), a 2006–2007 Fellow of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and the Fall, 2012 Harman Fellow at Baruch College in New York, she is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Above the Salt, a People Magazine Book of the Week and a Top Book of November, a Top Three Pick by Good Morning, America, and a Most Anticipated Book for Fall, 2023 by Zibby’s Books and Goodreads.
Vaz's novel Saudade (St. Martin’s Press, 1994) is the first contemporary novel about Portuguese-Americans from a major New York publisher. It was optioned by Marlee Matlin/Solo One Productions and selected in the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers series.
Her novel, Mariana, (HarperCollins, 1997), was selected by the Library of Congress as one of the Top 30 International Books of 1998 and has been translated into six languages. Mariana has been optioned for screen development with Harrison Productions.
Vaz's first short story collection Fado & Other Stories received the 1997 Drue Heinz Literature Prize and her second collection, Our Lady of the Artichokes, won the 2007 Prairie Schooner Book Prize.
Vaz is a recipient of a Literature Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts (1993) and the Davis Humanities Institute Fellowship (1999). She has been named by the Luso-Americano as one of the Top 50 Luso-Americanos of the twentieth century and is the first Portuguese-American to have her work recorded for the Library of Congress, housed in the Hispanic Division. The Portuguese-American Women’s Association (PAWA) named her 2003 Woman of the Year. She was appointed to the six-person U.S. Presidential Delegation to open the American Pavilion at the World’s Fair/Expo 98 in Lisbon. She lives in New York City and the Springs area of East Hampton with Christopher Cerf, whom she married in July 2015.

## Awards

* 1997: Drue Heinz Literature Prize, Fado & Other Stories
* 2007: Prairie Schooner Book Prize, ""

## Accolades

* Vaz is the first Portuguese-American writer to have work recorded for the Archives of the Library of Congress
* Named one of the top fifty Luso-Americans of the 20th century by LusoAmericano Magazine
* Named by the Portuguese Leadership Council of the U.S. as one of the All-Time Most Influential Lusa Women
* Appointed to the six-person Presidential Delegation to open the U.S. pavilion at Expo 98/World's Fair in Lisbon
* Above the Salt chosen as one of People Magazine's Best New Books to Read in Nov. 2023

## Published works
### Novels

* Saudade (St. Martin’s Press, June 1994)
* Mariana (HarperCollins/Flamingo, 1997)
* Above the Salt (Flatiron Books, MacMillan, 2023)

### Story collections

* Fado & Other Stories (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1997)
* Our Lady of the Artichokes and Other Portuguese-American Stories (University of Nebraska Press, 2008)

### Non-fiction

* "Songs of the Soul, Songs of the Night," The New York Times, Sophisticated Traveler Magazine, September 18, 1994
* Signatures of Grace (Dutton, 2000). Essay on Baptism. (In conjunction with Mary Gordon, Andre Dubus, Patricia Hampl, Ron Hansen, Paula Huston, Paul Mariani).
* "Carving the Fruitstones," for anthology about short fiction, 2004, Greenwood Publications.
* "This Howling," essay on the Azores/introduction to novel by João de Melo (My World Is Not of This Kingdom, translated from Portuguese by Gregory Rabassa), Aliform Press, 2003.

### Children's literature

* "The Kingdom of Melting Glances" short story in A Wolf at the Door (Simon & Schuster, 2000, in fourth printing)
* "A World Painted by Birds" in Green Man anthology (Viking, 2002)
* "My Swan Sister," title story in Swan Sister and Other Stories (Simon & Schuster, 2003)
* "Your Garnet Eyes,"in anthology Faery Reel, (Viking, 2004)
* "Chamber Music for Animals," in Coyote Road anthology (Viking, 2006)

## Critical response

Vaz's novel "Saudade" received positive reviews, earning an average 4/5 stars on Goodreads. According to the Library Journal, “This wonderfully inventive novel, which contains elements of magic realism, is infused with a sense of saudade-a Portuguese word that, according to the author, can be understood as an extremely intense longing for a time, place, or people... First novelist Vaz has written a challenging and rewarding work of fiction.”
Her novels "Mariana" and "Above the Salt" also received positive reviews. According to Maaza Mengiste, “Katherine Vaz writes with piercing, startling beauty: every sentence suffused with longing, every moment shining with possibility. In Above the Salt she offers us a story of discovery and loss, and the fragile but unwavering bonds of love that endure, despite it all. Vaz’s Saudade is a novel that has stayed with me for decades. In this latest book, Katherine Vaz has confirmed herself as one of our best writers.”

## Footnotes

* 1 2 "Radcliffe Institute Fellows - Katherine Vaz". Archived from the original on 2012-05-09. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
* ↑ "The Sidney Harman Writer-In-Residence Program". Retrieved 2024-01-10.
* ↑ Hubbard, Kim (October 30, 2023). "People's Picks: The Best New Books". People Magazine: 32.
* ↑ "Rediscover the bright new literary lights of years past with this retrospective of previous Discover Great New Writers selections". Archived from the original on 2015-02-11. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
* ↑ "The Center for Fiction Presents Katherine Vaz on Above the Salt". Center for Fiction. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
* ↑ "Browse". Archived from the original on 2007-05-18. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
* 1 2 "Prairie Schooner | Stories, Poems, Essays, and Reviews since 1926". Archived from the original on 2012-10-23. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
* ↑ "National Endowment for the Arts" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-06-12. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
* ↑ "Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture".
* ↑ "None".
* ↑ "2006–2007 Radcliffe Institute Fellows - Katherine Vaz". Archived from the original on 2012-05-09. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
* ↑ Nir, Sarah Maslin (2015-07-10). "Katherine Vaz and Christopher Cerf: Kermit Will Attend". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2021-05-16. Retrieved 2021-05-16.
* ↑ "Within the Lighted City". Women's Review of Books. 1998-03-01. Katherine Vaz achieves this broader scope in Fado and Other Stories, a first collection that won the 1997 Drue Heinz Literature Prize.
* ↑ "ABOUT". KatherineVaz.com. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
* ↑ "PEOPLE's Best New Books to Read in Nov. 2023". People.com. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
* ↑ "Saudade". Goodreads. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
* ↑ "Katherine Vaz". The Shipman Agency. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
* ↑ "Above the Salt". Goodreads. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
* ↑ "Katherine Vaz". The Shipman Agency. Retrieved 29 April 2024.