University of Nevada, Reno Foundation Professor Emerita, Dr. Emma Sepúlveda, Becomes First Latin American Woman Awarded the European Mercouri Prize and Inaugurates Chilean Stand at Frankfurt Book Fair, the World’s Largest Literary Event

University of Nevada, Reno Foundation Professor Emerita, Dr. Emma Sepúlveda, Becomes First Latin American Woman Awarded the European Mercouri Prize and Inaugurates Chilean Stand at Frankfurt Book Fair, the World’s Largest Literary Event

Dr. Emma Sepúlveda, celebrated Chilean-American author and human rights advocate, and Emerita Foundation Professor at the Univeristy of Nevada, Reno was honored as the first Latin American woman to receive the prestigious Mercouri Prize on April 18 in Valencia, Spain. The award was presented at the SOCIALMED Mediterranean Human Rights Festival.

The Mercouri Prize, named after renowned Greek actress and activist Melina Mercouri, honors individuals who champion human rights through creative expression, whether literary or artistic. Melina Mercouri, who faced years in exile, later became the first woman appointed as Greece’s Minister of Culture.


Dr. Emma Sepúlveda also recently inaugurated the Chilean stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the largest book fair in the world, alongside Chilean Ambassador to Germany, Magdalena Atria Barros.

On Oct. 17, 20024, Dr. Sepúlveda presented her latest work, 'When My Body Stopped Being Your Home—Ilse’s Memoirs in Colonia Dignidad', now available in German. On Oct. 18, she joined an international panel discussion on the book’s central subject, Colonia Dignidad, with esteemed German scholar and expert Dr. Jan Stehle. The session was moderated by Argentine researcher,  Dr. Victoria Torres.

The translation, by Dr.Mathias Sasse, was made possible through an award given by Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its translation fund, facilitated by the Department of Culture, Arts, Heritage, and Public Diplomacy (DIRAC) Chile.

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