Author Natalia Sylvester Explains That the Latino Narrative Belongs to Everyone in the US

When author Natalia Sylvester was young, a teacher told her that there's a story behind every story behind every story. And Sylvester found this to be exceptionally true when applied to the narrative of Latinos and Latino writers in the U.S.

Sylvester was born in Lima, Peru, and at age four she relocated to South Florida, where she would later earn a B.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Miami. Behind that story is the story of her parents, her grandparents and her ancestors before them, who didn't just come to the U.S., but "left a whole country and life behind."

Her first novel, "Chasing the Sun," takes place in Peru with characters who are all Peruvian. She wrote the book in English and published it in the U.S., affirming that the novel isn't necessarily one about Latino culture. Rather, it's a story that happens to take place in Latin America and employs organic cultural context as part of the narrative, but culture isn't the focus of the work. It isn't intended to be seen as "foreign" or "other."

"I've always been able to relate to stories that explore this experience of exile, of cultural exploration, of home and identity being this fluid, changing thing. And as a writer, I've found that returning to my birth place of Peru in my work is my way of not only honoring my roots, but the life my parents had to give up to bring my sister and me here," Sylvester told Latin Post. "My first novel, 'Chasing the Sun,' is set in a very difficult time in Peru's history, and one that I had to research very thoroughly because I had no memory of it. Writing about my heritage is my way of choosing to never forget."

According to Sylvester, the legacy of many Latino writers today is to embrace their culture, in all its complexities, but not allow it to be the only way that others define them.

"I am so incredibly proud of my culture, but I am also more than the language I speak, the food I eat, and the country I came from. We all are, and Latinos should have just as much freedom to explore all aspects of the human narrative as any other group," said Sylvester.

When Sylvester, who was born in Lima, Peru, speaks, she is often confronted by the reaction, "Wow, but you don't speak with an accent." The expectation that she should have an accent is just one example of "(mis)understandings" that many have, regarding the way Latinos should speak or act.

"One of the most common (mis)understandings of Latino culture is that we're different in some obvious way, as if you could easily pick a us out of a crowd by how we speak or appear. I enjoy challenging that notion because I think there needs to be a balance between acknowledging how similar we are as humans and respecting and embracing the ways we're unique culturally," she explained.

Even though she is Latina, she recognizes that she must acknowledge similarities and disimilarities, because she's limited by her own experiences. For that reason, she is constantly looking to other writers and artists to get a better understanding of the richness of the culture. Cristina Garcia, author "Dreaming in Cuban," is one of those authors. Garcia inspired Sylvester to pursue writing fiction. Garcia is stunningly capable of capturing her protagonist's deep longing for a connection to her roots and her past, and her existence in present-day U.S.

The Latino narrative isn't Latinos' alone, said Sylvester. It's a part of each person in this country, because Latinos are a part of American history and its future. This is something that Sylvester not only understands and quietly communicates in her writing, but it's an understanding that should be imparted on children at an early age.

To learn more about Natalia Sylvester, visit her website, and check her out on Facebook and Twitter. This article is is a part of the Latino/a Author Series, which includes Tim Hernandez, Daisy Hernandez, Sandra Lopez and Cecilia Fernandez.