Alejandro Varela (writer)
Alejandro Varela | |
|---|---|
Varela at the 2025 Texas Book Festival | |
| Born | 1979 (age 46–47) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Author |
| Notable work | The Town of Babylon (2022) |
| Website | alejandrovarela |
Alejandro Varela (born 1979) is an American fiction writer. His novel The Town of Babylon was a finalist for a National Book Award for Fiction in 2022.[1]
Career
Varela graduated from Cornell with a Bachelor of Arts and the University of Washington with a Masters in Public Health.[2][3] After graduating, he worked on an HIV study for the New York City Blood Center and managed cancer screening studies at Mount Sinai in Manhattan.[2] Varela taught graduate-level public health policy and advocacy at Long Island University before beginning to write full time. He has published short stories in The Yale Review, The Georgia Review, and Harper's Magazine.[4][5]
Varela was working in a skyscraper two blocks way from the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. He detailed his experience on that day to Nicole Chung in The Atlantic, "I don’t know when the nightmares started, but after that, it was a long time before I could fly again."[6]
Varela's debut novel, The Town of Babylon, was published in 2022, and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction.[7] The judges for the award said, "With this urgent, vivid novel, Varela has given us a modern classic and an indelible portrait of our times."[8][9]
His second book, The People Who Report More Stress, a short story collection, was published in 2023. The New York Times called it "a master class in analyzing the unspoken... Varela illuminates our society’s Gordian knots with a seemingly effortless wit and empathy."[10][11] The book was longlisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize.[12]
Varela's third book, Middle Spoon, a novel, was published in 2025. The Boston Globe described it as "...[a] decidedly modern examination of polyamory, family, individual neurosis, and pop culture. A multifaceted gem of a novel."[13]
Personal
Varela is gay and lives in New York City.[14] His parents are from Colombia and El Salvador.[1]
Awards and honors
Literary prizes
| Year | Work | Awards | Category | Results | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | The Town of Babylon | National Book Award | Fiction | Finalist | [15] |
| 2023 | Aspen Words Literary Prize | — | Longlisted | [16] | |
| PEN Open Book Award | — | Longlisted | [17] | ||
| International Latino Book Awards | The Isabel Allende Award | Finalist | [18] | ||
| International Latino Book Awards | Best First Book - Fiction | Finalist | [18] | ||
| The People Who Report More Stress | Aspen Words Literary Prize | — | Longlisted | [19] | |
| International Latino Book Awards | Short Stories | Silver Medal | [20] | ||
| The Story Prize | — | Longlisted | [21] | ||
| 2024 | PEN/Jean Stein Book Award | — | Longlisted | [22] | |
| 2025 | Middle Spoon | Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize | Longlisted | [23] |
Bibliography
- The Town of Babylon (2022)
- The People Who Report More Stress (2023)
- Middle Spoon (2025)
References
- ^ a b Soto, Christopher (March 16, 2023). "How the Salvadoran diaspora became a literary juggernaut". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ a b "How Alejandro Varela became a public health storyteller". sph.washington.edu. May 11, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ "Fireside Chat with Alejandro Varela '01 and Ernesto Quiñonez". Cornell University. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ "Alejandro Varela: "Grand Openings"". The Yale Review. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ "Carlitos in Charge, by Alejandro Varela". Harper's Magazine. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ "Alejandro Varela on the Reality of Being an Anxious Writer". I Have Notes. August 15, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
- ^ Pao, Maureen (October 4, 2022). "Here are the finalists for the 2022 National Book Awards". NPR. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "The Town of Babylon". National Book Foundation. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ "Three Questions for Alejandro Varela Regarding His Debut Novel, The Town of Babylon By Daniel A. Olivas". LATINO BOOK REVIEW. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Kirby, Gwen E. (April 28, 2023). "In These Stories, Society Lets Individuals Down Again and Again". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ Cheuk, Leland (April 6, 2023). "National Book Award finalist Alejandro Varela renders the neurotic complexity of cosmopolitan life with humor and pathos in 'The People Who Report More Stress'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ "2024 Aspen Words Literary Prize Longlist". Aspen Words. Archived from the original on March 1, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ Tuttle, Kate (September 4, 2025). "Story Behind The Book". The Boston Globe. The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
- ^ "These Stories Explore the Complex Stress of Being Queer and Latinx in New York City". Them. April 4, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ "Alejandro Varela". National Book Foundation. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ "Aspen Institute Announces The 2023 Aspen Words Literary Prize Longlist". The Aspen Institute. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ kanopi_admin (January 20, 2023). "Announcing the 2023 PEN America Literary Awards Longlists". PEN America. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ a b Whisler, Kirk. The 24th International Latino Book Awards Finalists: Winning Books Showcase Growing Talent. Empowering Latino Futures, 2022, www.latinobookawards.org/uploads/b/7bf35910-027b-11ea-bb26-f1fe282c6469/45c9be40-f3f1-11ec-8bdd-97aa18f436cd.pdf
- ^ Katz, Pam (November 9, 2023). "Announcing the Longlist for the 2024 Aspen Words Literary Prize". The Aspen Institute. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ "Book Awards 2024". International Latino Book Awards. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ "The Story Prize". The Story Prize. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ kanopi_admin (April 8, 2024). "Announcing the 2024 PEN America Literary Awards Longlists". PEN America. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ "2026 Joyce Carol Oates Prize Longlist Announced". New Literary Project. Retrieved December 23, 2025.