Paola Caracciolo, better known by her

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

, Pola Oloixarac, is an Argentine writer, journalist,

librettist A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...

and translator.

Biography

She studied philosophy at the

University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires ( es, Universidad de Buenos Aires, UBA) is a public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Established in 1821, it is the premier institution of higher learning in the country and one of the most prestigi ...

. After finishing her post-graduate studies for

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

at Stanford University she has been living in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, Spain. She has written for publications including ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', ''The Telegraph'', ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'', ''

Folha de Sao Paulo ''Folha de S.Paulo'' (sometimes spelled ''Folha de São Paulo''), also known as simply ''Folha'' (, ''Sheet''), is a Brazilian daily newspaper founded in 1921 under the name ''Folha da Noite'' and published in São Paulo by the Folha da Manhã c ...

'', ''Revista Clarín'', '' Etiqueta Negra'', ''Quimera'', ''Brando'', '' América Economía'', among other media. She is a founding editor of ''The Buenos Aires Review,'' a bilingual journal featuring contemporary literature in the Americas. Oloixarac has been invited to present her work and views on literature at universities such as Stanford, Harvard,

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach a ...

, Dartmouth,

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

Americas Society The Americas Society is an organization dedicated to education, debate, and dialogue on the Americas. It is located at 680 Park Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and was established by David Rockefeller in 1965. The Americas Society pr ...

, and

literary festival A literary festival, also known as a book festival or writers' festival, is a regular gathering of writers and readers, typically on an annual basis in a particular city. A literary festival usually features a variety of presentations and readings ...

s including Jaipur Literature Festival, LIWRE in Finland, Hay Cartagena, FLIP Brasil, Miami Book Fair, Marathon des Mots in Toulouse, FIL Lima, Crossing Borders Antwerp/The Hague. Her bestselling first novel, ''Savage Theories'' (''Las teorías salvajes'', 2008), has been translated in French, Dutch, Finnish, Italian and Portuguese. It was published in English translation by

Soho Press Soho Press is a New York City-based publisher founded by Juris Jurjevics and Laura Hruska in 1986 and currently headed by Bronwen Hruska. It specializes in literary fiction and international crime series. Other works include published by it inclu ...

in January 2017. ''Savage Theories'' provoked critical and cultural controversy upon its release, with its subject matter and Oloixarac's public image coming under scrutiny. According to Oloixarac, " e book has sparked verbal violence and a sexist uproar precisely because it doesn't deal with the issues that are traditionally associated with 'women's literature,' but instead contains a sociological critique that is both intelligent and satirical, which are apparently traits solely reserved for men." Her third novel ''Mona'' (Spanish 2019, in English 2021) shows her as a

satirist This is an incomplete list of writers, cartoonists and others known for involvement in satire – humorous social criticism. They are grouped by era and listed by year of birth. Included is a list of modern satires. Under Contemporary, 1930-196 ...

with some ''taste for provocation'' as her Guardian reviewer stated.

Awards and honours

In 2010, she was chosen as one of ''

Granta ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and ma ...

's'' Best Young Spanish Novelists. In the same year, she was invited to participate in the

International Writing Program The International Writing Program (IWP) is a writing residency for international artists in Iowa City, Iowa. Since 2014, the program offers online courses to many writers and poets around the world. Since its inception in 1967, the IWP has hosted o ...

at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

. She is the recipient of a literary award from the

Fondo Nacional de las Artes The ''Fondo Nacional de las Artes'' or FNA (in English: National Endowment for the Arts, Argentina), is a cultural public organization created in Buenos Aires on 3 February 1958. Its purpose is to promote cultural, educational and literary activit ...

. In the UK she was awarded the 2021 Eccles Centre & Hay Festival Writer's Award and is an Eccles fellow at the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

Selected bibliography

* ''Las teorías salvajes'' (Buenos Aires: Alpha Decay, 2014) * ''Las constelaciones oscuras'' (Buenos Aires:

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

, 2015) * '' Mona'' (Buenos Aires: Random House, 2019)

In English

* ''Savage Theories'', Roy Kesey, translator (New York: Soho Press, 2017) * ''Dark Constellations'', Roy Kesey, translator (New York: Soho Press, 2019) * ''Mona'', Adam Morris, translator (New York:

Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitze ...

; UK London:

Serpent's Tail Serpent's Tail is London-based independent publishing firm founded in 1986 by Pete Ayrton. It specialises in publishing work in translation, particularly European crime fiction. In January 2007, it was bought by a British publisher Profile Book ...

, 2021)

References

External links

Twitter account
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oloixarac, Pola Argentine women writers 1977 births Living people Argentine journalists Argentine translators International Writing Program alumni Argentine novelists