Marie Arana was born in Lima, Peru, the daughter of a Peruvian father and an American mother. She is the author of the critically praised memoir American Chica, which was a finalist for a National Book Award and the PEN-Memoir Award, and the winner of a Books for a Better Life Award. She is also the author of two novels, Cellophane and Lima Nights, as well as The Writing Life, a collection from her well-known column for The Washington Post. Her commentary has been published in The Washington Post, USA Today, The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, The Week, Civilization, Smithsonian, National Geographic, and numerous other publications. Currently, she is a writer-at-large for The Washington Post Book World and a senior advisor to the Librarian of Congress. She began her career in book publishing, becoming Vice President and Senior Editor at both Harcourt Brace and Simon & Schuster publishers, and eventually serving as editor-in-chief of The Washington Post Book World for many years. Arana has served on the boards of directors of the National Book Critics Circle and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. She has directed literary events for the AmericArtes Festival at the Kennedy Center and the Library of Congress’s National Book Festival. Ms. Arana holds a BA in Russian Language and Literature from Northwestern University, an MA in Linguistics and Sociolinguistics from Hong Kong University, and a certificate of scholarship (Mandarin language) from Yale University in China. She has been a judge for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award as well as for the National Book Critics Circle. She lives in Washington, D.C., and Lima, Peru, with her husband, the literary critic Jonathan Yardley.