Bruna Dantas Lobato is a Brazilian fiction writer and translator of Brazilian literature. Her translation of The Words That Remain by Stênio Gardel won the 2023 National Book Award for Translated Literature. Her translation of The Dark Side of Skin by Jeferson Tenório won an English PEN Translates Award, and her translation of Moldy Strawberries by Caio Fernando Abreu was longlisted for the PEN Translation Prize and the Republic of Consciousness Prize US and Canada.
Her first novel, Blue Light Hours, was published in 2024 by Grove Atlantic in North America. The novel was expanded from a story originally published in The New Yorker. The Portuguese-language edition was published by Brazilian publisher Companhia das Letras in her own translation with the title Horas azuis. Her stories have been published in The New Yorker, Guernica, A Public Space, and The Common.
Early life and education Dantas Lobato was born and raised in Natal, in the Northeast of Brazil. As a low-income high school student, she was selected by the United States Department of State and U.S. Embassy for the Brazil exchange program Youth Ambassadors, which first brought her to the United States to study U.S. politics and youth leadership. As a Youth Ambassador to Brazil, Dantas Lobato visited the White House, where she met Michelle Obama.
She has an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University, an MFA in Literary Translation from the University of Iowa, and a BA in Literature from Bennington College.
Life and work In addition to translating Brazilian literature into English, Dantas Lobato an advocate for translators translating out of their heritage languages and has led panels on the topic.
Dantas Lobato served on the board of directors of the American Literary Translators Association from 2021 to 2024. She is an assistant professor of English and creative writing at Grinnell College.
Honors +YearNominated workAwardCategoryResultRef.2019Moldy Strawberries by Caio Fernando AbreuPEN/Heim Translation Fund GrantsWinner2022Republic of Consciousness Prize US and CanadaLonglisted2023PEN Translation PrizeLonglistedThe Dark Side of Skin by Jeferson TenórioEnglish PEN Translates AwardWinnerThe Words That Remain by Stênio GardelNational Book AwardTranslated LiteratureWinner2024Dublin Literary AwardLonglisted
Selected publications
Fiction "Firsthand Account" (The Common, 2017) "Diversions" (A Public Space, 2018) "Reunion" (Guernica, 2022) "Snowstorm" (The New Yorker, 2022) Blue Light Hours (Grove Atlantic, 2024)
Translations Moldy Strawberries by Caio Fernando Abreu (Archipelago Books, 2022) The Words that Remain by Stênio Gardel (New Vessel Press, 2023) The Collector of Heads by Ana Matsusaki (Tapioca Stories, 2023) The Dark Side of Skin by Jeferson Tenório (Charco Press, 2024) The Tokyo Suite by Giovana Madalosso (Europa Editions, 2025) So What If I'm a Puta by Amara Moira (Feminist Press, 2025) There's No Point in Dying by Francisco Maciel (New Vessel Press, 2026) No Dragons in Paradise by Caio Fernando Abreu (Archipelago Books, 2026) Niterói Lights by Marcello Quintanilha (Fantagraphics, 2026)
References